Viral Mates 2: Expansion
by silverlineage
Summary: One year has passed since Projects Zeus and Hera cemented themselves on the Earth. Now they are bored. And Alex is ready to open a new can of worms. Will the galactic universe be ready for them? Will Shepard be ready for them? Shall we find out? *Do note, I have NOT played Mass Effect. I am resorting to Wiki and Youtube/fan information. Rated M for language and adult scenes*
1. Chapter 1

The Las Vegas strip was always so pretty at night. The City of Sin was alive 24/7 no matter where anyone was. It was a lucid haze to drug dealers, hookers, gamblers, smokers, and whatever else moved through the muck of civilization there. It was also where the two head members of a viral hive mind were currently taking residence. For a solid year, everything had moved along smoothly for them. They had so many children out in the world that they could easily cover the Russian countryside.

It was peaceful. It was calm. It was… _completely and utterly boring._ That was the thought that ran through his mind right now. It was the only thought that seemed to assault him all the time when he wasn't doing anything else.

The powerful viral male known as Alex Mercer, also known as Project Zeus, was gazing up at the twinkling, semi-smoggy night sky. He had his eyes halfway closed, and he was relaxing in a floating chair in a clear pool at the top of a hotel penthouse suite. This was the hotel that Anubis and Bastet had claimed when they first came out to Las Vegas to populate this area. They had amassed so much wealth that they bought out the original hotel owner. But, they kept him around as a main manager. They saw him as their personal pet. Humans were fun to keep around as amusing toys. Alex preferred to simply have them killed off, if they got in his way.

"Zeus," a female, ethereal tone crooned at him from just beyond the pool.

"Yes, Hera?" he chuckled. His mate was Project Hera. _My antivirus._ _Should have been, anyways._ But, in the end, he forced her to his side. It was the only way to save her life and proceed with the best plan he ever had. Without her, he wouldn't have the army of breeders, drones, or Kings and Queens at his beck and call. He'd still be living out a life on an abandoned island. She was everything to him and more. She earned her place at his side in full. He loved her more than he could ever dream of. And, most importantly, if anything kept him from going nuts from all the boredom, it was her.

"I guess you like the swim trunks?" she giggled. He flipped her off to get her laughing hysterically. He was able to remove his clothes and take in different clothes with his viral body. What he wore now was a set of silken black swimming trunks. They suited his mood. His brownish-black hair was a touch messy to look at, but he usually wore a hood on his head. He was only trying different things for her. He had to test out such things, too. Their intelligence in the form of a King, Hypnos, was their key to getting a lot of things done in such a short amount of time. He was the one that made such genetic enhancements to their race. "Well, I like them."

He picked up the small remote to let the motor under the floating chair turn him slowly around to face her. Then his jaw dropped at what she was wearing from the perfect lighting around the pool. She was a pale, near-albino in coloring from how she was created. Her hair was an off-white cream color and ran nearly to the floor. Her pale, blue pastel eyes regarded his sky blue eyes with complete mirth, as she watched his eyes run down her perfectly formed, overly ample body. On her large chest was a micro bikini that just barely served its purpose. On her hips were black strings that did the same thing to the part that sat between her thighs.

"You're a bitch…" he growled.

"I like the dark blue color. Don't you?" she purred and ran her hands over her body slowly while modeling it for him. "The kids are gone. Robert's away with Osiris for now…"

"Fucking cock tease…"

"Maybe I'll go down to the lobby like this," she mused and turned to show off the black G-string that neatly went down the perfectly cushioned cheeks of her ample rear. At the sight of a black-haired drone with black eyes approaching her, she pouted. "Nick!"

"No, my Empress. You know what would happen, if anyone saw you like this," it chided. It resembled a youthful man, but it lacked what a male truly needed. Such as it was with all the drones, but this was the strongest drone out of the entire hive mind. Being the first one that hatched, it had inherited Alex's claws. Its spiked out hair also displayed the savage, protective nature it always held for her. This drone was the only one allowed to be with her as her personal sex toy when Alex had to leave her alone for small outings. The other four drones of her entourage were ready to tear into anything that tried to hurt the ruling couple.

"I never get to have any fun," she sighed and crossed her arms under her chest to purposely lift them up higher. She squeaked when Alex fully tackled her from how fast he flew off the floating chair to her side. "That's not fair!"

"Nick, go fuck off," Alex growled and scooped up his mate. The drone cracked a grin. "And make sure the kids don't bug us."

"Of course, my Liege," Nick bowed respectfully.

"You know," she mused aloud now. Alex was able to hear her thoughts on what she wanted to try. Nick now wisely kept quiet. "I wonder…if the three of us…"

"Hera. Fuck you. No," Alex growled. "I don't share like that."

"But, it would be so much fun!" she beamed. He knew why she was doing this. She knew he was bored. And he knew that she was also bored.

"No. Final word," he muttered and carried her into the luxurious bedroom to lay her down on the large bed there. "I won't have another cock around me. Even if it's fake."

"And not once did you say how much you liked what I'm wearing," she mused. When he rose an eyebrow at her, she grinned slightly. "You can thank Isis…"

"Already did," he muttered and let his teeth move to trace over the taught strings leisurely.

"Although, I do admit," she sighed. "I'm bored."

"You, too?"

"Yeah."

"Well…what else is there for us to do? We have this whole fucking planet on lock down."

"I know. Maybe we could…oh! We still have that frozen egg, don't we?" she grinned.

"Hmm…" he mused and moved to pull her over his chest. "Yeah. We do."

"And, we finally trained a group of Hunters to act like a bunch of dogs that work for treats," she snickered softly. He grinned back at her. "And, didn't we have a few of our hidden bases start to rise up? I know we did for the main one."

"Oh, yes. That caused mass hysteria of a completely unknown level," he laughed softly.

"The 'End of Days' they called it," she snorted with disgust. "Fucking morons."

"You and I both know that."

"But, I think it's time to crack open that egg," she smiled warmly and gasped when his teeth began to finally pull a string up and off what it was hiding.

"I just sent the word to Hedeyasu and Ragland," he muttered. "I'll be kept updated."

"Ah. Hypnos wants in on this, too," she smiled and lost her train of thought when the nibbling started. He knew exactly how to shut her up. And, with her neatly entertained, he moved his awareness to the drones in the main base. The very base she was created from. It was successfully removed from the water, but it was quick to sink back into the depths to keep itself from causing too much of a world-wide issue. And, because it was seen, it was quickly moved to another location discreetly.

Deep within the base, near the very heart of it, a deep-freeze locker was finally opened. Drones took out the chest to keep the freezing air from escaping too much. It made things much faster, and the ice was expertly chipped away from the lock. When it was opened, they had to wait a couple minutes for the misting to calm down before they could get close to it. As much as the drones could have helped, the two leading men in charge of the egg wanted to be the sole ones responsible for handling it in full.

"You have it?" Ragland asked, as he used the ice pinchers.

"I do," Hedeyasu nodded. The rather tall Japanese scientist worked with the good doctor to take the frozen egg containing the odd alien DNA out of the chest. "Just let it thaw?"

"That's the plan," Ragland nodded. "Hariti? Are you well?"

"I'm all right," she smiled. He let her move over to him to help assist, and he let her guide where the egg needed to go. Her Oriental features always delighted him. She was made from his subconscious thoughts when he was able to get her made from Project Hera. "Mother is very curious about this egg."

"You know that Agatha always would be curious about such a thing," Ragland chuckled. She helped settle the egg on the lightly heated cushion to help the thawing process. After it was secured, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and squeezed her.

"We'll check on it every ten minutes," Hedeyasu nodded. Drones were already set to watch it around the clock. The moment it thawed and began to fully change, they would be ready to sound an alarm. An hour later, Alex, now fully dressed again, was having a laptop set up to let him talk to the other Kings that were part of his usual meeting. Only a select few were able to converse with him. There would have been too many to speak to if they all showed up. Of the few able was Cronus, the first King made. He had to be present. His dark, gothic-type mood always drove the other Kings on edge, but that was only because of his status and how his wife, Rhea, wanted him to be.

Hypnos was the next to appear on the screen. His usual steampunk attire was easily noticed. He was the second King made, and he was the main intelligence of the hive. Thanatos and Lelantos were next to appear. They were the ones that assisted in hive defenses, but they matched in attire for dark leathers. They were also rather savage and brutal killers.

"We seem to be short a few Kings," Alex muttered.

"Oceanus is busy trying to find weak points in various cities. No one ever sees him from how fast he is. Coeus is tending to Frigg. It's nearing her birthday," Hypnos chuckled in his ultra-deep tone. He adjusted his glasses neatly to ensure they stayed in place. He didn't like the hinges on the usual glasses, and these neatly sat on the bridge of his nose like a set of dual monocles. "You know, has Mother's birthday passed yet?"

"I think it has. I thought nothing of it. Why?" Alex frowned.

"We should do something for her," Thanatos grinned. At the sight of Osiris joining the conversation from his screen, the others waved at him. He was the one that kept his nose in the middle of various military conferences by being a powerful figurehead that he had consumed near the beginning. As much as clones were made to take over from various drones, he kept the original design. Isis, his breeder sister and mate, was happily pulled into his lap to join in on the conversation. Their massive appetite for sex was always something admired and grumbled about.

"We need Eros here," Osiris suggested. "He always has such great suggestions!"

"That he does," Alex muttered and sent the order to join in. When the King with the face of a sculpted Roman statue appeared with his golden-blond hair and deep blue eyes facing them all, he simply nodded to them at the mental message.

"So, a birthday party for Mother?" he mused in his chocolate-coated tone.

"You could say that," Lelantos grinned. He was the one who loved to hunt down his enemies. It was him and the breeder male, Hermanubis, that tag-teamed their prey constantly.

"And you would think that it has to be to a very unique place," Thanatos grinned. And, as one that always savors a good kill, he suggested, "Why not a hunting trip to Africa?"

"We did that. The natives wanted to her to leave from how many animals she took down within the first ten minutes of seeing them," Alex snorted. "But, they did admit that they all ate rather well."

"You'd think they did. I want to kill something now," Thanatos pouted.

"You're the Vice President. Shut the fuck up," Alex growled. The King cleared his throat and nodded. "Where's Robert, anyways?"

"He's signing a contract about opening up trade routes for more imported goods," Osiris said. "He is the President, after all. He has to do something for his country."

"Something? Heh. He's been chewing out everyone he sees, lately. If they aren't a drone, they get the short end of the stick," Alex snickered.

"Good," Cronus nodded. "They deserve no less."

"No shit," Lelantos smirked.

"Anyways, back to the topic," Alex started. When Robert walked in to sit down and flip off the Kings on screen, Alex grinned wickedly. "I guess the day went rather well?"

"Fuck no," Robert grunted. "Topic of discussion? I need to talk about something intelligent."

"Birthday outing for Mother," Thanatos chuckled.

"Ah. Good. Hunting expedition?" he asked.

"Nope. Already done. Pick another idea," Alex said.

"And we are not visiting jewelry stores. She has enough jewelry that she can open up her own set of stores and still have enough to fill a bank vault," Robert warned them all.

"Figures," Osiris sighed. "Where is Mother, anyways?"

"She's resting. Isis had to send her that fucking micro bikini…" Alex grunted. Now the Kings swallowed and glanced at Osiris's screen. Isis beamed at them all.

"It was Isis's idea. I had no say in it," Osiris said calmly.

"That it was! It was a pretty color, too," she nodded.

"Agatha was wearing a…?" Robert paused with complete shock.

"She was. I ripped it off her. She's pregnant now. Want to see it? Wait for her to give birth," Alex muttered out. "And that's only for him. Not for any of you."

"We know," Eros chuckled. "Ah, Osiris, can you have Isis send me one of those?"

"I can do that," Osiris grinned ruefully.

"I could improve the design," Hypnos offered. Alex gave him a hard glare before laughing softly and shaking his head. "I could even make some new bathing suit designs out of it."

"You're a pain in the ass!" Alex finally retorted to get them all laughing. He got up and went to check on his mate. Agatha was sitting up in the bed and sipping on a luxuriously made mug of hot chocolate. He was able to steal a little from her and press a kiss to her mouth. Her belly was already swelling from the drone eggs within her. The walk-in closet held a tentacle he made that would hold the eggs when she birthed them.

"So, tell me," she said and licked the spoon clean of whipped cream. "What's on the agenda after these eggs are out?"

"The Commander wants to see you in that fucking bikini," Alex grunted. That got a sharp bark of laughter from her.

 _:My Emperor! You need to get the main lab! The egg is forming at a critical rate!:_ Hypnos suddenly cut into his thoughts.

 _:Fuck! Your Mother is still pregnant! Bring it up on a main screen.:_

 _:We can't. It's too bizarre. You need to be present for this.:_ Hypnos urged. Alex growled at this.

"You and your fucking micro bikini…" he scowled. "Okay. We need to make a trip. You can still walk, somewhat. We're getting picked up."

"Then let's go!" she nodded and downed the rest of the hot drink easily. Nick was ready to help her dress in her white toga with the mid-section bare for her pregnancy and jeweled finery. The feminine-type drone, Kim, was already setting up meals to take with them to feed her ravenous appetite. The overly-muscled drone, Robin, was making mental directions to the helicopter that now appeared for them. A rather lean drone that specialized in scouting and defense, Eddie, was working on proper transportation worthy of the hive leaders. The drone that handled most of the offensive procedures, Aden, was keeping a close watch over the city. Even though it was nightfall, they all had instinctive night vision.

"She's pregnant," Alex muttered to Aden. The helicopter was able to hover neatly in the air to retrieve them. He was a touch pissed that his solitude was destroyed, but there was no choice in the matter for now. Other drones were there to ensure the helicopter blades didn't knock anything over. They were used to this sort of emergency transport.

"Here, my Empress," Kim said after Agatha was strapped down securely into a specialized chair for her growing belly. A large steak was offered to her to help curb her voracious appetite. Alex was soon sitting next to her and had a hand in her hair. He glanced down when a strand became an odd tentacle to curl about his wrist with affection.

"I'm here," Robert sighed and found his seat after he got lifted into the helicopter. When a tentacle of hair moved to gently drape over his shoulders, he sighed with relief at the feel of her thoughts. A steak was soon served to him, and he tucked into the meal. Now that the helicopter was taking them to the military docks for a proper submarine transport, Alex focused in on the hive conversations.

 _:What does that egg look like?:_ Alex asked.

 _:Think of a giant frog egg. Apparently. Rather amphibious in look, texture and growth. I've never seen anything like it! And it keeps growing like ours can do!:_ Hypnos said. He was already at the base to help with the careful monitoring of the odd alien egg. _:And the fetus inside is developing rapidly. Very fast metabolism from what it looks like.:_

 _:Interesting. Keep it under lock and key, if it hatches before we get there.:_ Alex ordered. _:Find any matches? Or, as usual, no matches?:_

 _:First thing I looked for, my Emperor. No known creature on this planet has this type of DNA sequence. I don't even know how George got wind of such a thing! Ah! Osiris has information.:_

 _:That I do. There were experiments with alien technology being done. There was a type of computer, I think. Communication parts were found in an intact ship. The military government was able to extract something from a room in the ship. It…sort of resembled a nursery. I think that's what the reports said, anyways.:_ Osiris thought out, as he tried to remember what he learned.

 _:What happened to the ship?:_ Agatha asked.

 _:It self-destructed when an idiot hit the wrong switch.:_ Osiris grumbled. _:All we have is a bit of the communications and the DNA.:_

: _Fine. Bring the stuff to the main base.:_ Alex said.

 _:It's already here. I insisted to see it.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:Good. Set it up. Let's make a phone call.:_ Alex nodded mentally. Agatha rose a brow at him. "I'm bored. I'm curious. I'm likely gonna open up a whole new can of worms. Fuck it."

"If you say so," Agatha chuckled. The rest of the ride was smooth up until they got into the submarine. Agatha had to be carried by Robin now. Her belly had swelled quite a bit during the ride. She was set down in a plush chair and surrounded by drones. Hypnos was already setting up the communication parts. He was having too much fun.

"Everything fitting together?" Alex asked.

"So far so good," Hypnos mused. The egg was carefully set up in the background for close monitoring. It was also in easy view for the camera to see it just in case it was recognized. It may need to be used as a form of a bargaining chip if push came to shove. Agatha was amazed at how the blue egg with a darker blue embryo was forming. It almost resembled one of her eggs, but it was a full yolk sack with the embryo attached to it on the inside. Her attention moved to the screen when it suddenly flicked on with activity. She was out of sight to only let Alex and Robert be seen in the small camera that was fitted to the parts. The egg was clearly in the background behind them like a small trophy.

"Patched through!" an odd man wearing a military uniform said. A rather commanding officer now looked through the camera in an odd way from where he stood on a raised bridge above the control helms. He looked tall, strong and very dangerous. His brown hair was cut short, his face was clean-shaven and a set of strong, brown eyes gazed at the two looking at him from a chiseled face. He was clearly puzzled at who he was looking at.

"My name is Commander John Shepard of the SSV Normandy. You hailed us?" the man asked.

"Um…did we? We just found a bunch of parts and put them together…" Alex started.

"What? This was a salarian transmit! An S.O.S signal! And…is that…a salarian egg?! Joker! Pinpoint the coordinates! We need to get down there now!" the man snapped.

"Wait, what?!" Robert asked. "I think we need to talk about this…"

"We will. Face to face. Expect me to arrive in the next hour," John said. "My ship is currently in orbit right now. It won't be long before we appear."

"Before you do that," Alex said. "what year is it for you?"

"It's 2158. Why?" he asked.

"Trust me when I say this. I'll tell you where to come down. If you appear now, you'll be caught, questioned, and not believed," Alex said calmly. "You'll be coming down in the past. For you, that is. Maybe. I'm not sure. But, you may be regarded as someone crazy and playing with fake guns while talking about a ship that will cause mass, world-wide panic that the world's gonna end and that everyone's gonna die. That kind of past."

"Shit…" John sighed.

"Yeah," Robert nodded. "We don't want to have the populace run scared. That already happens far too often these days. More like a daily basis."

"What?" the man frowned. Alex rose up his hands.

"We'll talk. I'll contact you with a location. Just stand by," Alex said with a knowing nod. The screen went black, and now Alex and Robert looked at each other.

"I'll put on the 'Presidential' uniform," Robert muttered. "That means the gold uniform."

"I'll arrange for the best location to be available," Hypnos said. "Or, Osiris will."

"He will," Agatha nodded. "I wonder how he'll react when he learns that the past was taken over with a virus…"

"If it's not his past, then who the fuck cares?" Alex smirked. Agatha could only grin at him. This was going to be a bumpy ride all over the place. They were ready for it.

* * *

 ***Author's Note***

 **This story is a direct sequel to Viral Mates, and it's here at long last! Do note that I have not played Mass Effect, and I have been resorting to the wiki and YouTube playthroughs for references. If you want to read what's here, you can. Or, if you want the challenge to not read the prior story, go ahead and continue! Feel free to post reviews/feedback. If you feel the need to message me directly, definitely do so! I'll answer when I can. If you post a review anonymously, I may not be able to respond, as you don't have an account. Thanks for taking the time to read, and enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

John Shepard found himself on the outskirts of a New York forest with two of his military men ready to gun down whatever moved. He could have brought other crew members, but, if he was in a bit of the past, he wasn't sure how the people would react to true alien life forms. The small ship they used to carry them down was mismarked as a blot on the government radar, thanks to Osiris and Hypnos working the systems. Alex and Robert were calmly walking over with a small waves to show they were friendly. When the guns were drawn, Alex sighed.

"Don't do that," he said. "Just relax. I said we were gonna talk."

"And you'll talk with my guns drawn. We only saw one of you. And that's the guy next to you. I don't trust that," John growled. Alex rolled his eyes and gave the mental word. Nearly a hundred drones uncloaked and readied themselves to attack. The three men dropped their jaws at this. They clearly had no idea. When one of the men was about to complain that there was nothing but Robert on the heat tracking device, Alex chuckled.

"We don't show up on thermal devices. We're not really human. This guy is," Alex said and pointed a thumb at Robert. "But, I'm not. Neither are they. I'm the head guy now."

"And, I'm the President of the United States. I was initiated in a year ago," Robert said.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" John asked with outrage.

"Would you have believed him?" Alex asked calmly. At the silence he got, Alex simply cracked a grin. "Anyways, we have a ride ready for us. Your transport ship will be safe here. My men don't need sleep. In a sense, they could be my kids."

"Really?" John asked and grimaced at the black, emotionless stares he was given from the drones.

"And, if you think I'm fun to work with, you don't want to meet my wife," Alex grinned wickedly. "She makes my attitude look like I'm skipping through a field of daisies. But, that's when she gets really, really irritated."

"Is that so?" he mused.

"He's telling the truth. I'm her stud," Robert smirked.

"Stud?" John asked in a puzzled way.

"As I said. We'll talk," Alex said and gestured for the men to follow. The drones slowly fanned out in a silent wave to ensure they wouldn't be disturbed. The ship was carefully covered with plant growth to hide it perfectly with the camouflage of a small hill under a protective sheet of tarp. When they got to the luxury limousine waiting for them from a small off shoot of a dirt road, John was shocked.

"No flying transports?" he asked.

"You're a hundred years ahead of us. We're still in the diaper stage of that technology. For now," Alex chuckled and let the three men in first. Once they were seated, Alex and Robert took turns talking about how they came to be in the position they were at now. They timed the entire thing to last up to the port. It was an hour drive, so they had time. Alex needed to make sure they got back in time for him to help Agatha give birth. Only he could help her with that. "Okay. We're going to the base now."

"Underwater?" a man asked.

"Yep. The first base," Robert nodded.

"I'll get to meet your wife, right?" John asked.

"After she gives birth," Alex said. "and I need to make sure she's properly dressed."

"What? A micro bikini won't work?" Robert grinned.

"Fuck you," Alex smirked. John shook his head, but he found himself chuckling. "Sorry. We have a…mutual type of relationship this way."

"From how you trapped him against a wall, I can see that," John nodded. "It kinda sounds like you guys are the perfect killers."

"You could say that," Alex nodded. "My mate was a byproduct of me. She would have been raped and killed off, if she killed me."

"As you told me," John sighed and shook his head. "Kinda disgusting."

"What's disgusting? That he could be fucking his sister, or that my family is one giant, red-neck, viral family rolled up together?" Robert grinned. "The tree does fork, but…in small twigs."

"I do not need that image!" John scowled.

"Don't let him meet Hermes," Alex advised.

"Noted," Robert nodded and cleared his throat. "Better keep Loki off the list, too."

"Agreed," he muttered back. John was feeling a bit more relaxed now. Once he was told everything he was needed to know, he knew that he wasn't going to be under any form of threat. The two recruits with him were still on edge, but they followed his lead. If their Commander was calm, they would remain calm, too. The trip was a short walk from the limousine to the waiting submarine. They got seated near the galley, as Alex was sure they were hungry by now, and a dish was quickly ordered. At the sight of the platters of grilled elk served to them now, they gave in to the smell.

"What do you want to drink?" Robert asked. He was still waiting on his meal.

"Surprise me," John smirked. A malt liquor with a strong, bitter aftertaste was given to him now. He was rather impressed. _It went well with the density of the meat._ "What animal is this?"

"Elk," Robert chuckled. When he was served a large, over inch-thick, eight-inch around slice of Hunter heart, John's face went slack. "And you won't like this. It's a slice of a heart. From a creature that would make the two of them shit their pants."

"Hunters," Alex grinned widely. "My family eats them."

"I have yet to see one," John muttered out. "and how do you know I won't like it?"

"It's a type of viral mutation. I wouldn't chance having you eat it. It might kill you, or worse," Robert advised with strong caution. "Maybe, if everything works out, you could get a shot of Agatha's blood to keep you safe while you're here. Or, you could say fuck it and take your chances."

"I'll do the latter. For now," John nodded and finished off his dish. When his intercom went off, he answered it. "I'm fine, Joker. Just keep the ship steady."

"Are you really in the past?!" the enthusiastic, yet nervous voice responded.

"I got to drive around in a car with wheels," John smirked. "Flying cars don't exist yet."

"NOT FAIR! Oh! I want to do that!" Joker pouted.

"It's not like flying a ship. Even then, I was only given a ride," John chuckled.

"I still want to experience that!" he argued.

"We can arrange something," Alex grinned.

"We'll see if we have the time for it," John nodded.

"Wait. Ask him how he knew about what year we're from," Joker said.

"Good question to ask," John muttered and looked at Alex.

"When you've consumed enough nerds, geeks and scientists, you have to wonder how in the hell a ship that no one has ever seen before is in orbit. You don't see that shit unless it's in a video game or a movie with special effects. And your ship has yet to be seen, too," Alex said.

"We're pretty far out, so no one can see us. Keeps us off the radar," John started. Alex stopped him with a bark of laughter and a shake of his head.

"That would do it," Robert winced and finished off his dish. As a drone took away the empty plate, he said, "You're making my brain hurt, as much as we're doing it to you."

"There is a lot that has gone on so far…" John said.

"Want to simplify it with a drop of blood?" Alex asked calmly.

"I was thinking about that. I want to wait until after I meet your wife," he said.

"Fair enough. Just remember this. She belongs to me. Robert is the only other guy allowed to fully fuck her. You try anything, she'll kill you. Same with your boys. I won't have to lift a finger," Alex warned. "The moment we get into the base, I need to help her with the eggs."

"That dangerous, huh?" one of the men asked. Alex sighed, and a small video screen was brought over. He was going to show them the footage of her massacring everyone on the highway during the Presidential elections. When the screen flicked on to show the video about to start, John paid close attention. Something told him this was important.

"That white bitch right there is my wife. Watch what she does," Alex insisted mildly.

"Can't get a good look at her," the second man said.

"You'll get a nice up close and personal look soon enough," Robert chuckled. John wasn't listening to that right now. He was watching with a form of sheer horror at Agatha's lethal tendriled hair coming alive and turning everything into a blood-bath all around her.

"That's your wife?!" John gaped.

"You can say that," Alex nodded.

"She doesn't look like anything pretty-" the first man started. Robert quickly leaned over to slap a hand over his mouth. Alex only winced.

"Fuckwad," Alex sighed hard. "All of the drones here are connected. They just heard what you were gonna say. They knew it was about her. Now she heard you through them. John, I'm sorry. You may have to prepare a casket."

"Let me talk to her first," John said in a small, pleading way.

"Hopefully she'll listen to you," Alex muttered. John gave a small glare at his crew member to keep quiet. Both men were quick to obey his silent command. After ten, quiet, awkward minutes went by, he chuckled and said, "Luckily, you won't have to feel the brunt of shame any longer. We're here. We moved the base a bit closer than normal. Come on."

"Keep your mouths shut," John warned the two men under his command. The three of them followed Alex and Robert to the main base platform. Then he said, "So, if you're the President, what are you doing here? Oh. You have drones?"

"That's right!" Robert nodded. "I'll do a little here and there, but I let the grunts do most of the dirty work. They know how I talk, think and act. It's easy to put a stunt double out there."

"I sure could use one," John snorted.

"Play your cards right, and we'll see about that," Alex grinned ruefully. "I need to check on Agatha. Commanders, I'll be leaving now."

"You're an asshole," Robert growled. "You're gonna have fun with this."

"Fuck yes, I am!" Alex grinned back wickedly and darted off swiftly.

"He likes to call me Commander on purpose. From what I used to be," Robert sighed.

"So, with me being a Commander, too…" John paused. "Damn it…"

"My thoughts exactly. Don't take it too personally," Robert chuckled.

"I'll try. I hardly know him. So, I could take it personally," John mused. They both laughed, and Robert led him to the small meeting chamber. On seeing Dionysus, Robert growled out.

"Go back to your room," he ordered.

"But, Daddy!" Dionysus pouted.

"Still acting your age?" Robert asked. The breeder male with blue eyes and shoulder-length, sandy blond hair with curls at the end seemed to scowl at him.

"Father, please! I'm not in my terrible two's yet, you know. Dana is just barely keeping Hermes where she is. She's pregnant with another King. We have been keeping the breeding time-line at the same time for births. Shit-ton of us, as it is…" he muttered out.

"Tell me about it. Anyways, this is Commander Shepard. He's from the future, apparently," Robert said. "We don't know how he got here. We don't know how a ship that he knew of got here, either, but we hope to find our answers by working together. And, Commander Shepard, this is one of my many red-neck, viral sons, Dionysus. Feel free to ignore him, if he gets to be too much."

"Oh, goody! So, what nifty little advancements do you have?" Dionysus asked. "And ignore me?! Really? I am not that bad!"

"Could have fooled me," Robert smirked.

"I agree with Father," Apollo said when he walked up. His stern, calm face easily swept over the others there. "I'm Apollo. I'm the first breeder male born. My sister, Aphrodite, is the first female breeder born. I figured I'd introduce myself."

"Apollo? Dionysus? Why are those names familiar?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Greek gods and goddesses. Projects Zeus and Hera. Does that help?" Robert asked. That had the soldier nod with understanding. "They chose to stick to the theme. If there are no other names, they resort to Egyptian gods and such. Hermanubis is one such example. He's my son that likes to hunt things down and slaughter them first-hand. It's how I was on the battlefield."

"We gained small parts of our Father this way," Apollo nodded.

"Well, you're the killjoy of us all," Dionysus smirked.

"Be careful. Hermes is the asshole," Apollo smirked back.

"Children…" Robert warned. "don't make Alex give you a nut sack."

That got them both to shut up nicely. John now looked at Robert with amusement, and he was gestured to for a soft whisper. John clapped a hand over his mouth to cough. He failed to hide the laugh rather miserably. He planned to do that to a few men on his ship now. They all glanced over at the sight of Robin walking up to them. The large drones' black eyes regarded them all.

"Our Empress is ready. Her eggs are birthed. Show respect. If you don't, I will crush you," it warned. Then its arms formed into the large, massive hammers that Alex was known to possess. John's jaw dropped. His two men were in complete shock at the change.

"Are they shitting their pants yet?" Dionysus asked softly.

"No, but you will, if you don't shut up," Robert muttered back. "Alex is on edge."

"Right," Dionysus nodded. "Well, I'm going to go get something to eat. Athena wants something, too. See you all around!"

"I had best check on Aphrodite. Hopefully, I'll see the three of you and not just two," Apollo nodded to them next and walked off. The faulty soldier swallowed and let out a sharp breath. They followed the large drone through the main base. When they reached the meat locker, Robert knew that all the human corpses were already removed. He was rather glad about that. But, he did see them stiffen up at the sight of the large, frozen Hunter arm and leg parts that graced various sections.

"Sir," Robert smirked over his shoulder. "remember the piece of meat I was eating? What you're seeing is what may be left of that thing."

"Wow…" John blinked.

"Maybe later you'll see a living one," he chuckled and opened the door for them. The mass assault of wealth was the first thing they saw. Then the three of them saw the large tentacle holding the new eggs. They were clearly in shock over it. When Alex shifted from where he sat on the bed, he was regarded next. Only then did they see the stunning beauty sitting up next to him. She was wearing her toga and jeweled finery. She gave off a sensation of power, regal authority and being a touch pissed off.

"Hello. My name is Agatha. I'm also known as Project Hera. Now, which one of you started to insult me, hmm?" she asked with a small smile. Her ethereal tone easily caught them by even more surprise. "Alex, I think I need to walk around."

"If you think so," Alex grinned slightly. Once she was standing, she let her hair come alive. John's jaw dropped. Then he blinked when a tentacle moved to gently close it for him.

"If you saw the video then you shouldn't be so surprised. Right?" she chuckled. The other two men were simply flustered at her complete and utter beauty. She was simply too prefect to look at. Even as she moved, the cloth seemed to slide over her perfect legs unlike anything they had ever seen. Her chest seemed to strain in the cloth that held them in a purposeful way. She was a walking figure of seduction and death. Alex was always turned on by her. It couldn't be helped.

"Don't be too much of a bitch," Alex muttered in her ear and pulled her against him.

"Shut the fuck up," she grinned at him and let him kiss her. "You like it when I'm a bitch."

"Agatha," Robert chuckled and was able to help calm her tentacled hair back down. "this is Commander John Shepard. His two men are here, but I don't know their names yet."

"Not important," she murmured and locked her eyes on John's eyes. "We have an egg that may belong to you. Would you like to see it?"

"Ah, yes. Yes, I do need to see what that's all about," he nodded. She blinked her eyes slowly at him, gave a small half-smile and let Alex escort her out. "So, you were created from Alex?"

"I was," she nodded. "A fat fuck of a scientist was too horny and jealous for his own good. He fucked everything over for everyone. I'm just happy that Alex got me all my parts back. I still can't believe that those shitheads in Antarctica used my DNA…"

"Hey," Alex grunted and squeezed her. "I had them all killed. The base is ours now."

"It still hurts," she shivered. "How they hacked up my part and…"

"Sorry. Various parts of her kept memories of the torture they went through. As much as she knows it's all done, the memories resurface," he sighed.

"I can understand that," John said softly.

"I'm sure you can," Alex mumbled out. When they walked into the meat locker, he grew out a claw and tore out a piece of frozen bicep. "Cook that for her. Slow roast it."

"Yes, my Liege," Robin said and sent word to Kim. The drone showed up to take it and do as he asked. As they walked to the main lab, Nick was quick to appear.

"Hold her," Alex said and gave her over to the drone. Nick nodded and gave a glare of protective warning at the three men. When the salarian egg was revealed, John moved right over to it.

"Yeah, it's almost at full growth. Maybe another two days. I gotta get this back to the salarians. I don't know who the parents are, but they'll figure something out," John said.

"They found the DNA in a fully intact ship. Someone set off the self-destruct sequence after they pulled the communication feed from the main computer system there. Not sure how it found our little Hell-hole of a planet, but it did," Alex shrugged.

"It's fine. Is there any more of that DNA stuff?" John asked.

"Ah. Thinking ahead are we?" Agatha smiled softly. "There might be."

"I'll need all of it. You can think of it as stolen parts," John said. "All of it needs to come back with me. I just have to hope I can get back home."

"I'm sure you can. In the meantime, you can chill out here. Bring your crew down. What do you think? A little shore leave won't hurt, right?" Robert chuckled.

"I suppose. The egg is safe enough. All right. How will they get down here?" John asked.

"Leave that to us," Alex nodded. At a call on his communicator, John cleared his throat to answer it in his usual way.

"Yes? Shepard here," he said.

"Um, you're not gonna believe this," Joker said. "I think there's a Reaper blip on our radar…"

"What?!" he gaped.

"I'm not sure. But, you may need to take a look," Joker said.

"Change of plans," John said and cut the call off. "You all need to come with me. You call yourselves a threat? I need to show you what the real threat is."

"Give us a drop of blood," Alex said. "It's faster."

"I…" John grimaced. "Fine. One drop."

Nick was quick to help retrieve it, and now the hive mind gleaned what the Commander knew. Alex now looked at Hera with a wicked form of joy. "My dear, would you like to see how fast we can fuck up a Reaper from the inside out?"

"I'm game. Bring it," she grinned.

"Commander Shepard, we'll join you. We're bored as fuck here, anyways. I do wonder if a virus could become Spectre status. What do you think?" Alex mused.

"I can pull a few strings, if you fight as well as you say you do," John nodded. "Let's go find out. We need more strong alliances, anyways."

"Good. Let's go," Alex nodded and signaled to the hive mind. Hypnos was giggling with joy. He was going to construct new toys for them all to play with. He was already hard at work in his own personal lab and reveling in the new fruits of his craft. He couldn't wait to show them off.


	3. Chapter 3

A second ship was able to be sent down to carry Alex, Agatha, Robert and the drones needed. If they knew that Hypnos was already deploying his own aircraft next, they'd be in shock. He was also going to test a theory. _The drones didn't really need to breathe._ He was going to launch one of his drones into space to see what happened. He had gone over it with Alex in complete depth before deciding to do this. If the drone was successfully deployed, then any space-bound enemy was definitely going to be in for a fight. Drones had natural cloaking. They didn't show up on thermal scans or radars. Something was going to get massively fucked over in the end.

"I've been going over what your memories show of your Council," Alex muttered, while they were driven back to the forested area in the limousine. "I don't think I'd trust any of them."

"Certain members are okay," John started.

"And the salarians from your memories. They sound like uptight fucks that would do anything they could to get any piece of scientific info," Alex started.

"If they try to tag me with a needle, the tagger will need to be bagged and thrown into a dirt hole in the ground in whatever pieces are left," Agatha growled out. "I refuse to have any part of my DNA stolen from me. It happened once. I had no control over that. I have control over it now. I will not let it happen again. We are freely giving back everything we took. We are upholding our word to give back what was stolen. I won't make any agreements to give over anything of mine. Willing or not."

"I can back you up on that," Alex nodded and let her snuggle into him for comfort. "Don't worry. I'm not leaving your side. Our drones aren't leaving your side. Heh. Those crazy fucks told us to go back to outer space when we came out of hiding. Not from there, but kinda ironic that we're going to space to check out this new, crazy galactic bullshit."

"If there's an invasion of different races, then everyone is going to want to know what's up," Robert sighed. "Glad I'm still dressed for the occasion."

"Maybe I should change my outfit into something lighter…" she mused.

"Bitch!" Alex growled to get her laughing. "You are _not_ wearing a micro bikini to a first meeting with unknown aliens! I swear, that may be your new thing to get me riled up now…"

"You bet your ass! As for you, John, I do wonder how your missing salarian ship got here to begin with," Agatha admitted. "It really makes no sense to me at all."

"I'm not sure, either," John said with a shrug. "We know that many of our adversaries came from a place called The Veil. It's a very hazardous place to go through. Very few ships go in there and make it back in one piece. Some sort of time rift must have happened. Even I don't know how I got here. Nothing changed at all. Only thing I can think of is that your planet simply came into existence to our system. Maybe a mirror-world of some kind. I mean, this is Earth. A version of it. But, not the one I know of. I'm still…mind-blown over all of it."

"That makes two of us," Robert nodded. "I still can't wrap my head around it."

"But, you let your other head get wrapped up in my-" Agatha started before Alex pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her. At her pursed smile, he shook his head.

"I know you're horny," Alex muttered in her ear. "We'll fuck in a spaceship soon."

"Good," she chuckled and leaned into him. Robert was trying to remain calm. It had been some time that he was with her. Such talk from her wasn't helping him. Even worse was the small tentacle that moved to caress his back under his suit jacket. He wanted to have that stop, but he wanted the contact, too. He took in a deep breath for control and glanced out the window.

"Hera…" Alex growled in her ear. He knew the game she was playing. "Stop it. Now."

"No," she murmured with a small smile.

"Is something wrong?" John asked.

"She's bored. Insanely bored. Do you have any puzzles here?" Alex asked.

"Not really," he admitted.

"I have one," Nick chuckled and took out a prepared Rubik's Cube.

"I haven't seen one of those in…" John gaped. "well, never, really. Only in a picture book."

"Really?!" Alex grinned.

"Hypnos will be busy," Agatha chuckled and let him kiss her.

"So, I know what she can do. But, what can you do? Aside from the claws…" John started. Then he froze at Alex's savage grin. The two men with him actually started break out into a nervous sweat. Robert just rolled his eyes and continued to let Agatha's hair massage his back.

"You'll find out in a battlefield. I wouldn't advise that here," Alex seemed to snicker.

"And you call me a blood-thirsty bitch?" Agatha grinned.

"Nah. Just a bitch," he chuckled and nuzzled her. "And remember. No matter what happens, your purpose is fully for me. Ignore everything else."

"Okay," she nodded and pressed into his neck.

"Here. Apparently, she doesn't need it," he said and handed the Rubik's Cube to John. "We have boxes of them. You can keep that."

"Thanks. I know a few guys that would like these," John chuckled and studied the plastic, rotating, multi-colored cube in his hand. He gave it over to one of the soldiers to play with. It would definitely keep the man busy and out of his way.

"We have another ten minutes. We just hit the dirt road," Alex said.

 _:My Emperor! I ran the space test with the drone. It works.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:How many drones can we deploy into space?:_ Alex had to ask.

 _:How many do you want to send?:_ Hypnos asked evenly. That got Alex laughing hard in the link.

 _:Set up several space stations now.:_ Agatha said with a chuckle. _:The faster we establish ourselves, the harder it will be to remove us. Much like how we spread out here on the land.:_

 _:We're gonna be like locusts.:_ Hermes finally managed to speak out in the link.

 _:Let the drones be the bugs they find first.:_ Alex snorted to get them all laughing.

 _:I'm making small jet packs that will work for single unit transport. I may need to get my hands on some complex rocket fuels. I want to see what they have before making the final designs.:_ Hypnos said. _:If we are sending drones up, we'll need to disguise them in suits.:_

 _:Makes sense. Work on it.:_ Alex nodded.

 _:And do not neglect Eir.:_ Agatha said gently.

 _:I am well aware. She actually does help me with various designs!:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:Read a book with her.:_ Eros nudged in. _:I'm sensing that she needs that.:_

 _:I'll do that now.:_ Hypnos agreed.

 _:Good thing to know that you're helping in ensuring our little King and Queen couples are staying stable.:_ Alex chuckled lightly.

 _:Of course, my Emperor. Also, you should see what new sights will be around for Mother.:_ He mildly hinted. Alex rolled his eyes, but he mentally agreed. When they got to the ship, it was uncovered and ready to go. John checked how much seating was there, and he frowned.

"I doubt there's really much seating here. I don't think it would be safe to just cram us all in," he started. Alex simply smirked at him.

"We'll manage," Robert chuckled. When John went to check around the ship, he swore. "What's wrong? Did something break?"

"Not really. A part of the landing gear looks stuck in the mud. Was it raining?" John frowned.

"It did rain for a few days around here. Hmm," Alex thought and studied how bad the ship's landing gear had sunk. Then he smirked when he saw Agatha's tendriled hair already moving to coil around various parts and carefully lift the ship from the ground.

"She's lifting the ship…with her hair…?!" John gaped.

"Remember. That's my wife," Alex chuckled. The drones moved in quickly to secure the earth under the spacecraft. "She can't hold it for long. Hurry the fuck up!"

"Yes, my Liege," several drones said together and sped up the task. Several lesser drones of Robin were quick to help lift the ship up on various sides. John was just in shock that several tons of steel was now being lifted up as though it was a simple pile of bricks. Right after the debris was cleared, the ship was settled back down. Agatha chuckled softly and examined the inside of the craft.

"There's plenty of room here," she chided.

"But, lifting off out of the atmosphere will be a problem…" John started.

"I purposely let myself jump from flying jet planes at high speeds for fun," Alex snorted. "We'll live. Commander, you may need a seat."

"I get it," Robert sighed. When they managed to pile in, the drones simply climbed onto the outside of the ship to hold on. Quite a few were able to do this.

"I hope we can lift off," one of the soldiers said.

"As long as they don't sit on an engine, we'll be fine. Um, you sure they can survive space?" John asked Alex. Nick was the only drone sitting inside with them. The drone had to be with Agatha at all costs for protection. At the small nod given back, John could only nod back and bring up the control grid. The lights came on, the engine roared to life and lift off began.

"Damn! That thing always falls down!" the second man growled at how a loose fixture started to teeter out of the holding it was in. It was right over John's head, and it appeared to be some form of compass support. If it fell on him, it would hamper his flight. Agatha's hair quickly moved and split into smaller strands to push the piece back into place and carefully secure it from behind the fitting. She was amused that, on the outside, the ship appeared to be seamless. On the inside, her hair could fit into quite a few crevices. _Possibly even where the engine sat._ This would be remembered down the line.

"Her hair…just fixed that…?!" John blinked.

"Focus on flying us," Robert said calmly.

"As I said," Alex snickered softly. "my wife makes me look tame. Just remember that."

"Right…" John sighed. Agatha sighed and looked out the small windows to see the land rushing away beneath them. Alex continued to focus on the hive link to ensure that he wasn't going to lose it. Much to his pleasant surprise, it was still intact. He sent visuals of everything he was looking at. Agatha was doing much of the same. They were clearly enjoying the ride. Robert was just amazed at how seamlessly the craft left the Earth's atmosphere. When they all found themselves weightless, her hair came alive to lock them all down in the form of mildly constricting seat belts.

"Thanks," Robert chuckled and patted a tendril of hair.

"Never tried to fuck in space before," Alex muttered in her ear.

"Mile-high club for sure, eh?" she grinned wickedly at him.

"I can still hear you," John grounded out.

"Why? Are ya jealous?" Alex chuckled.

"We can arrange for the two of you to fuck in space, but only when I'm not sitting close by. Do we have a deal?" John asked. Alex nodded at that. John let out his own small chuckle, but Agatha didn't fail to notice how he kept glancing at her. She knew he was intrigued by her, but she had no interest in him at all. When she looked out the window again, she saw them approaching something. "And there she is. The SSV Normandy. What do ya think?"

Agatha now moved to look out at the large ship floating silently in space. The ship slowly came into view to allow them all to get a good look, as they moved into a docking bay. It looked sleek in design, but Alex noticed, from John's memories, that it was purely a ship for scouting and quick getaways. He was actually impressed. Hypnos was bound to start making improved designs. When they docked, the small ship started to get hooked up to various feeds and refuel lines. The internal gravitation of the ship easily took over, and Agatha retracted her hair.

"Very nice," Alex nodded, as he looked around.

"We'll get a room set up for you," John said. "We need to see if I can get back to the Council."

"That's fine. Do what you have to," he chuckled.

"HOSTILES!" a docking recruit shouted when the drones began to uncloak from where they were latched onto the ship. Agatha gave out a seething hiss of warning when her hair suddenly came alive. Guns were drawn on them, and she was ready to attack in full force.

"No! They aren't hostiles! They are allies!" John said quickly and stood between them. "I'll tell all of you everything. Just…give them a chance."

"Why didn't we see them?!" another man asked.

"I said I will explain," John sighed and went to a control panel. "Attention! Immediate briefing conference now! Stop all actions and report! This is not a drill! This is a direct order!"

Several voices, male and female, soon reported in that they would be present. Agatha was still on edge. The men stationed there could only stare with a form of awe-struck horror at how her hair wavered about in a defensive and offensive way. Alex moved over to her side to kiss her cheek and whisper softly in her ear. She looked at him with a small frown, but he whispered softly again.

"He said he would tell them about us. After he talks about them, we'll walk in and crash the party," he chuckled and nuzzled under her jaw. "We'll still have some fun."

"If you say so," she whispered. When she heard someone walking down a metal hall, she tensed up. Alex was forced to stay with her to keep her calm. The drones couldn't do anything.

"Shepard! I heard there were hostiles!" a multi-toned male voice sounded. "I had to come down, and, yes, I heard you were going to explain a few things, but I needed to check on this."

"Garrus, it's fine. I just gave word that there was to be a meeting, okay?" John said calmly. When Agatha looked over now, she found her eyes locking onto the eyes of a creature that appeared to look like a hybrid between a dinosaur and an eagle in various looks. His cheeks were a set of mandibles around his mouth and moved when he talked. The back of his head appeared to have something akin to a horn-like frill, and his skin was metallic. It almost looked like a carapace, or some form of natural armor. Of course, he wore other armors, and this also revealed the thin limbs and three-fingered hands he had. He also had blue markings on his face, and he was simply speechless at what he was looking at.

"Ah. You must be of the turian race. Nice," Alex mused. "He'll tell you what we are. Then we'll either shake hands, or fuck something up together as a peace treaty."

"I…" he started. Then he looked at John. "So…they are working with us?"

"So far. Just don't piss them off. The woman there can lift the scout ship with her hair. And, apparently, kill whatever the hell she wants with it, too. So, let's play nice for now"

"Sure," Garrus muttered out. Something about Agatha peaked his interest. She looked like someone he had to watch himself around. That made him incredibly curious about her. Usually, that wasn't a good sign for anyone. He was a master with a sniper rifle, but something told him that this female could be a touch out of his league. He wanted to test that theory in time.

"My Empress," Kim said when it walked over.

"Empress?!" Garrus asked with confusion. John found himself pulling his colleague away to get talked to. Robert watched the whole thing. He was pissed.

"Commander?" Alex asked him.

"If that thing tries to get with Agatha, I won't be happy," Robert grumbled.

"You think he will?" Alex mused. Agatha simply shivered for control and looked away. Now he looked at her and nuzzled her. "I'm right here. I'll fuck up anything that tries to touch you."

"Okay," she nodded. She appeared to be the defenseless maiden in distress. He knew it was all an act. She was highly on edge now, on the brink of being in a killing mood, and he had to be the one to keep her from slaughtering their new, possible allies. _If she went on a killing spree, the shit would hit the fan really fast._ As much as he was all for causing chaos, they had to tread carefully in this new territory. He had to keep his guard up just to ensure that she was kept calm. There was no other way.


	4. Chapter 4

"Viral mutations?! Will they make us sick?!" a slender female wearing a mask was quick to ask.

"I don't think so, Tali. Not these ones. At least, well, I'll have to ask," John sighed.

"So, they are a whole new race and culture?" a blue-skinned female asked. Her head lacked hair, but her skull appeared to look wedged and tapered to an angled point behind her.

"That I don't know, Liara," he admitted. "They seem to be. We can find out."

"Are they warriors?" a large, male, reptilian type of humanoid asked. He could have easily resembled a hulking dinosaur with red scales and a broad, facial muzzle on regarding John. On the right side of his face were a set of scarred claw marks that he displayed proudly.

"They definitely appear to be, Wrex. We don't want to get on their bad sides," John smiled slightly. "And there are a lot of them, too."

"Hmm…" Garrus thought aloud from where he was leaning against a wall. His mind was filled with thoughts about the white female he saw. He was fascinated by her hair. As one that always respected and admired frilled skulls, the tendrils he saw looked lethal. _They weren't just for decoration._

"Garrus?" John asked.

"Sorry. I'm just…thinking…" he said. "I think I need to check on a gun or two…"

"Hmm?" Wrex glanced over at him now.

"You can tell us what's on your mind," Tali chuckled. "or…are you shy?"

"What?!" Garrus growled out. "I think not. But, I'm going to be watching my back."

"It's a good idea," Alex snorted, when he walked in. Now the others turned to look at him with surprise. "Hi. My name is Alex Mercer. They call me the Blacklight Virus where I'm from. I'm here to fuck things up with you all. Just don't get in my way. I might mistake you for the enemy, if you do."

"Are you going to infect us? My immune system is already weak enough!" Tali said nervously.

"Nah. Humans tend to be the main focus. I don't know what I could possibly do to other races. Even then, infection doesn't really happen like that. It's very different. Most of the time, you're either born with it, or it's done with injection, bites or something else along that line. Rarely airborne. My wife, Agatha, also known as Project Hera, can cure you with her blood. But, that's if you think you're getting sick from me, her or my kids. It's unknown," he shrugged. "I also don't know about how humans would be in this particular time frame, anyways."

"We'll just have to see what happens," John said.

"So…your wife's name is Agatha?" Garrus asked.

"Yeah. They made her to kill me, but they fucked up. So, she's with me now. And, why are you so interested in her?" Alex asked him now.

"Just making sure I know who she is in case she steals my kill shot. That's all," Garrus smirked.

"I can go with that," Alex nodded.

"So, where is your wife?" Liara asked. At that question, Robert brought Agatha in. Her pastel blue gaze swept over them all calmly. Then she nodded with a small, pleasant smile.

"Hello. I am Agatha. Nice to meet you all," she smiled softly.

"Wow…" Liara blinked. She wasn't expecting her to look so beautiful. Even her voice caught her up in complete surprise.

"Are those real diamonds?!" Tali asked when she spotted the jewels.

"That they are," Agatha chuckled. "I can get you some, if you want them. It's easy for me."

"Oh! If you could? I mean, I don't really need them, but…" Tali started.

"It's perfectly fine," Agatha smiled.

"Um, how old are you? I mean…" Liara started. "If I do not offend you…"

"I'm a little over a year old," Agatha chuckled. Now she was stared at with surprise. "It's true. So, I'm happy to see what sights and sounds I can. As much as I know there could be a lot more I could see on Earth, sometimes a small change of scenery is good."

"A small change?" Garrus chuckled. "From what Shepard has told us, you're dealing with all new races and lands you've never seen, nor heard of before. You need a guide."

"Nope!" Alex grinned. "John was kind enough to give us a drop of his blood. We know pretty much everything he does now."

"By one drop of blood?!" Liara gasped.

"Yes," Agatha nodded.

"Ah. But, Shepard doesn't know about home worlds. Just what he's learned in books," Garrus said with a small shrug. "He doesn't know what it's really like to be in our shoes, so to speak."

"Oh? And, are you offering to be a personal tour guide?" Alex asked him directly.

"If we all survive this war and my home still exists, I can do that," Garrus nodded.

"Hmm," Agatha frowned. Then she turned away and sighed. Alex glanced at her and moved to her side to let her lean into him.

"You're tired. I know. Oh, how much meat do you have on this ship?" Alex asked.

"Enough for a few months," John said.

"Not enough. Fuck. You sent down another ship, right?" Alex asked now.

"Yeah. It may be coming back shortly. I think some of your other kids were meeting up with us. As much as I wanted to have that ship for the lot of you, it was easier this way. Your kids now know how to fly the craft, right? Or do I have to fetch them?" he asked. "Also, would you be missed on your world? I mean, if Robert is the President…"

"I think Osiris will fly it just fine. If you're not sure, we could collect a drop of blood from your main pilot here," Alex mused. "And, I'm not worried about the retards on my planet. I've got enough drones with the main faces those humans need to see."

"Why are you concerned about the other ship?" Wrex asked.

"We need to stockpile it with meat. When I fuck my mate, she makes eggs. A LOT of eggs. And she gets a very intense appetite. I mean, if you have some really thick steaks here, I can cook them. It will help, but not for long," Alex sighed. At the sight of disdain from the girls there, he smirked. "No, I'm not fixing my language. Get used to it."

"Where is Nick?" Agatha asked.

"The drone's scoping out a good room for us," Alex said.

"All right," she nodded and pressed into him. Robert chuckled and simply stood aside.

"Yeah. She's tired. Let me secure her in a room," Alex muttered.

"Wait. Before you do, Joker said there was a possible Reaper imprint. Come with me," John said. "We need to check it out."

"Ah. Right. Let's do that," Alex nodded. He was quick to sweep Agatha off her feet to carry her, though. He didn't want her to wander off. He knew her mood was a complete and solid act. _She wanted to explore. She'll just get into a form of trouble._ Even Robert knew what she was pulling. He was simply watching the room calmly.

"You can put me down," she seemed to sulk.

"No," he smirked at her. She seemed to pout. "Stop it."

"If she wants to explore…" Garrus started. Now Alex looked over at him in an irritable way.

"She's not exactly tired. She's bored. If she starts to explore, you'll find yourself fixing something. Trust me. You don't want me to let her explore unsupervised. Granted, she may have a few drones with her, but they won't stop her from letting her do what she wants," he said. "And, on another note, you've been acting very odd. Ever since you saw my mate, you've been getting in my face."

"You're a new race. I'm looking out for my crew," Garrus responded.

"Right. The whole, uptight asshole bit. Like most law enforcement officers. I get it," Alex muttered. "I can understand that you feel intimidated. I can sense that from you. What I don't like is how you keep putting your nose in my face. From what I understand, we are on the same side. If you want to talk in depth, we can do that. Let me get her settled in first."

"How is she bored?" Liara had to ask. "I mean…"

"It's an act," Robert said when he walked over now to add in his two cents. Agatha rolled her eyes at him. "See? She wants to explore the ship. How about this. Nick and I will escort her around. Alex, you can go see what the threat really is. We can figure out the smaller details later."

"We may as well get a blood drop from your pilot," Alex said.

"I don't think Joker will willingly give over that drop of blood," John said.

"As his Commander, you can order it," Robert said. "If you want us to help you, we need to know how to do certain things."

"True. Ugh. Let me talk to him first," John said.

"Actually," Agatha mused. "tell him this. If he gives over one drop of blood, we'll let him ride around _and_ drive one of our cars. We have some of the fastest models around, too."

"Yeah. That would work," John chuckled. "Let's go talk to him."

When she appeared a touch lost in thought, Alex glanced over at her. "What's on your mind? As much as I could find out, I want you to tell me."

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that I do find it amazing that there really are other worlds out there," Agatha smiled softly. "In our culture, everything was, well…speculated. All of this is something you really would find in a form of a video game or a science fiction movie."

"Wow…" John blinked and found himself laughing. "You really are from the past."

"That we are," Robert nodded. Alex gave Agatha over to him now with a small nod. "I'm sure Nick found us a room. We'll check it out."

"It wouldn't have a window, would it?" Agatha asked aloud in thought.

"Most places don't," Garrus said. "It would be seen as a form of a breach."

"Then how does the pilot see around him?" she asked.

"Oh, he has the windows," Garrus chuckled.

"The main galley, and serving deck, does have a few windows. We also have a few rooms that can have windows, too. If you want one, I'm sure we can provide one," John said. When Robin walked over, the main crew members stared with complete surprise at the size of the drone.

"Your room is ready, my Empress," it said.

"Good!" she beamed.

"Take her there. Don't let her explore," Alex growled. Now that he gave the order, it would be obeyed in full. "I want a full scope of this ship. Wherever there is a weak point, I want a drone stationed. This place will be on a silent lock down."

"What?!" John gaped.

"You won't even know we're here," Alex chuckled. "It's only to ensure that we are all protected. I'm not taking over your ship. As I said back on Earth, I consumed a ton of humans. If we get boarded, my drones will be the ones boarding them and taking over their ship before they know what hit them."

"And just how do you expect to do that?" Wrex finally asked. When ten drones suddenly uncloaked all around them, Alex grinned wickedly. The crew was horrified, but Agatha's small, warm smile showed that there was no threat at all.

"We don't travel alone. These kids don't show up on thermal scans or radars. You could be taking a shit, and you'll get watched. You'll have no idea at all," he snickered.

"I'll be sure to have my scope upgraded…" Garrus growled.

"You mean this one?" Agatha asked when a tentacle of hair held up his sniper rifle. "I lifted it off you while you were distracted by the drones."

"How in the hell did you do that?!" Garrus asked with complete shock. "I didn't feel…well…no. That will just come out wrong…"

"Here," she laughed softly and gave him back his weapon. Now he was shaken up. It was why she did it. She was proving to him that she was out of his league. Instead, it only sparked even more of an interest. If she knew that, she'd be grumbling about it.

"So…you can just…lift our weapons from us…?" Tali started with complete surprise.

"If I felt like it. There's so many open places here, too. And, what I mean by that is that my hair could find its way into the ship's engine room rather easily," she smirked slightly. "Maybe even into the weapon control ports. But, I may only resort to that if there is an emergency that needs to be fixed. I would never do such a thing to my allies. Hopefully, such a thing won't happen."

"Damn," Wrex laughed. "I kinda want to see what you would do to the enemy now!"

"Oh, I'm sure I could fuck up quite a few things," Agatha grinned. "Ah! What are we going to do about that egg? How will it be brought up?"

"Osiris is helping," Robin nodded.

"Good," she said. "All right. I think I do need to lie down."

"If you lie down, I'm making sure you stay down," Robert said. At her pouting look, he smirked.

"Nick will have to do that. I need your ass here," Alex grunted. "We need to figure out a game plan. So, your expertise is needed. Yeah, the kids can listen in, but we need information from you."

"Or do we wait and see who else is coming aboard to help crash the party?" Agatha asked.

"Hmm…" Alex frowned and went into the link. _:Which ones are coming up?:_

 _:I am.:_ Osiris said. _:Isis is with me.:_

 _:You know I have to, my Emperor.:_ Hermanubis chuckled. _:Who else is gonna manage the Hunters? Even Sigyn wants to play.:_

 _:Count me and Gaea, too.:_ Lelantos snorted.

 _:I'm coming up to play, too.:_ Thanatos growled. _:Tethys insisted to come with.:_

 _:I'm not sure if I should join.:_ Eros said. _:Leto was toying with the idea.:_

 _:You should.:_ Agatha chimed in.

 _:Then I will.:_ Eros gave a mental nod.

 _:You know I'll be doing something with Eir.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:I want to come up!:_ Dionysus said.

 _:Fuck you.:_ Alex snorted.

 _:But…:_ The breeder male pouted.

 _:If Hypnos is able to make something that works for transport, then fine. We'll see.:_ Agatha said gently. _:Just be patient. We need those around me that can fully protect me to come up first.:_

 _:I understand, Mother.:_ Dionysus agreed.

 _:If he goes up, I'll be there, too.:_ Apollo said calmly.

 _:Does this count for Dana and I?:_ Hermes asked.

 _:Only after she gives birth, and the King is grown.:_ Alex said. _:I don't want her experimented on. There's plenty of King and Queen eggs currently in stasis at the main base. I've been mildly berating any new King and Queen that appears in my special, mental way. It's worked so far.:_

 _:What about us, Dad?:_ A new voice came through.

 _:Orion. I don't know. How's Mellony holding up? As well as your other brothers and sisters?:_ Alex asked. _:I don't know if I want to risk any of you.:_

 _:Dad, I think we'll be fine.:_ Another male spoke out.

 _:Perseus, don't be a pain in my ass.:_ Alex growled. _:How's Andromeda holding up?:_

 _:Well, you know our kid was pretty much another King. It almost seems to be a coin toss for us. Like a regular human, but the kid develops like the others. And, yeah, the growth seems to run that route for us, too, from Mother's blood. It's just that the kid is more…powerful from your part on being born this way. Even you know it's a bit interesting about it.:_ Perseus chuckled. _:And she's not pregnant now. It seems to be slower for us. Like a once a year thing.:_

 _:It could be because of how powerful that one is.:_ Hypnos said. _:I can look into that for you.:_

 _:You can.:_ Perseus chuckled. _:I don't know how he'll be, though.:_

 _:Are you all talking about me?:_ A gruff voice filtered through the link. _:And if so, why?:_

 _:Well, Keid, it's because you're a fuckwad.:_ Alex snorted. That got barks of laughter filtering through the link. Like his mother and father, it was decided for specialty kids to have the names of various stars. _:Prove yourself to me. You want to come up here? Do something to impress me.:_

 _:Want a pet from the zoo?:_ Keid asked.

 _:Hmm. What kind?:_ Alex asked. Keid was rather good with animals. _Especially at stealing them from cages._ _:And it would have to be a baby one that was just weaned.:_

 _:I figured that. Give me some time.:_ He said. The mental nod was given to proceed.

 _:Just don't get caught.:_ Perseus muttered.

 _:I know, Father.:_ Keid agreed.

 _:My Emperor, I had a very intricate idea.:_ Hypnos said.

 _:I'm listening.:_ Alex nodded.

 _:I was able to start sending quite a few of my drones into deep space with what we were able to acquire from NASA. From what Commander Shepard has sent us with his memories, I was able to construct a map of the star system he's familiar with. There are a few 'dead' planets that he can recall. They may not be really dead. Just not explored yet. Our drones may be able to create a small colony on certain ones that were deemed uninhabitable. Just because he can't breathe the air doesn't mean it wouldn't work for other species.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:What are you suggesting?:_ Alex asked.

 _:Once we set up some form of a small colony, John could say that he found us by surprise…:_

 _:Heh! Okay. I'll bring that up to him. It may simplify a lot of things. However, we'll need to time this just right. Colonies don't just appear overnight. We may have to delay our introduction for a week or so. Maybe even a month, if we can help it. Or, if we get our hands on some advanced tech, it would be the only way to speed up such a thing. As for the rest of you, let your mother and I get settled in first. Then we'll see if you all can come up.:_ Alex said with pure reason. At the confirmations given, he now looked at Commander Shepard. "Sorry for appearing mildly out of it. I was talking to the kids in the hive link. My actual kids, in a sense. Anyways, I had a question for you."

"Go for it," John nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You died and came back to life in full. Your blood sample revealed this. What I want to know is how that's physically possible. It could simplify a lot of things. Also, I'm having a lot of my drones sent into space right now. They are going to hunt down a planet to start working on a small bit of colonization. It may take time, but we may be able to pull this off. We figured that, if your Council search parties 'found us' and decided to recruit us…"

"It would be easier than just saying 'Hey, we found new allies, and they live in the past'. I actually like that," he grinned back in full understanding. "I can even say that I found you all and insisted that you join up in the fight. It would show why I went missing for a while. I can set up the usual paperwork for such a thing."

"Exactly. Another thing. Your history shows that these Reapers may have left the lesser races untouched. So, we are going to keep my Earth planet as stupid as possible. It's easy enough to do. We know how. We just…leave them as they are now," Alex shrugged. That got John cracking a grin. "Mindless idiots are already hard enough to teach."

"True. As hard a truth it is," John sighed. "Anyways, let's go look over a few things."

"And, I want a drop of blood from your pilot," Alex said.

"I am concerned about one thing," he said, as they walked.

"And that is?"

"Joker has something called brittle bone disease."

"Ah. It won't affect me, or my intense family. In fact, Agatha's blood may cure that."

"What?!" John asked and turned to face him.

"Her blood is like a miracle cure for everything and then some. It regenerates wounds. Keeps you looking youthful. Hell, it may also keep you alive indefinitely, from what I know. It hasn't been tested. And, you'll love this, it also allows you to gain a possible wife from Agatha. She can make an egg for you. A true equal," he grinned. That had John glancing at him with a form of wonder.

"Interesting. But, I'm not sure of that for me. We'll have to see what happens," John said.

"I get that. Just food for thought," Alex nodded. Robert was soon seen jogging over to walk with them. He had to help ensure that Agatha was taken care of by Nick. As they started to talk in-depth about what was going on currently, Agatha was getting her brain picked by Liara.

"I am sorry, if I seem overbearing. There is just…there's so much I want to know," she started.

"I understand that," Agatha smiled. "If you like, I can have a drone go over everything with you. It doesn't need to sleep or eat, and it can answer all of your questions to your heart's content."

"You would do that?!" she gasped.

"I can," Agatha nodded. "There is now a drone waiting for you by your room. I can have it stand there as a small personal guard. It will talk to you and answer any question you have."

"Oh, thank you! But…well…" Liara seemed to fluster. "I would much rather see if I could get all of my answers from you directly. It would seem better."

"Our Empress is not one for such talk," Nick muttered. "She has more important things to do."

"Like what?" Agatha smirked at the drone.

"Keeping your ass in bed," Nick grinned a touch wickedly. Alex was clearly talking through the drone now. Then it looked at Liara. "As for you, what do you hope to gain by talking to her?"

"Oh. Nothing really…" she frowned.

"Stop fucking with her," Agatha growled. "She's curious about us. We don't know anything about her race, either. So, our drone will play Twenty Questions with her. They can take turns asking various questions this way."

"Mmm. Hmm. Fine," it mumbled.

"Why…does he act that way?" Liara asked.

"This drone is special. Alex can reach through to it. And, do remember, this is not a true male. It lacks the proper parts to be a real male," Agatha smiled with a small nod.

"Oh. It's just…hard to tell at times," she admitted.

"That's the way it should be," Nick smirked.

"I'll go find the drone that will speak with me. Ah, thank you," Liara nodded.

"Anytime," Agatha nodded back. When Liara walked away, Agatha sighed and leaned into the drone. "Nick, can we _please_ explore the ship?"

"Robin has direct orders to keep you in your room," it said.

"Surely we can make an exception…" she murmured in its ear.

"Hera," Alex growled through the drone.

"I did bring the micro bikini with me…"

"Fuck. You."

"Now?" she grinned. Nick nipped under her chin and regarded her with its black eyes.

"If we explore, your drone party is with you. No exceptions. And they will not go invisible. Do we have an agreement?" it asked carefully. At her small nod, it sighed and looked at Robin. The large drone nodded. Kim, Eddie and Aden were soon there to help complete the escort. She gave a small, wicked smile. She was rather curious of the weapons on board. That was her first place to visit.


	5. Chapter 5

As much as Alex wanted to start her out on getting more drones made, he had to check on how much food the ship fully carried. _There was no choice in it. Her ravenous appetite would easily put a damper on the galley stores._ As he continued to work on what was currently available, and convince Joker to give over his precious blood drop, Agatha was walking along with Nick to see what the weapon guns looked like on the scouting spacecraft.

Garrus was busy going over a rather large gun when he turned at the sight of Agatha walking over to see the sights. He cleared his throat to regain himself from her stunning beauty and walked over. Her hair looked normal and completely straight, but he knew better. Her hair always fascinated him. Much to his better judgment.

"You shouldn't be here," he started.

"I know. It's why I'm here," she chuckled. That had him pause. He liked that answer.

"Do any others know that you're here?" he had to ask.

"Alex does through the drones. I want to know what you're doing. Maybe I can help," she shrugged. At that, he started laughing. "I could. Give me a drop of blood, and I'll know everything you do up to this point. You'd be surprised."

"I heard you talk about that. But…really? A drop of blood?" he asked.

"Yes. One drop. And, what I learn from you, the others do, too. Actually, it would be a drone that collects it. I can't see memories like they can. One of the flaws from being a byproduct of Alex," she sighed. "But, I get by from what I'm told after the fact."

"How about this. Let's try something easy first. I dropped something down below this bridge. I need the tool to fix up something else for later. I'd go down and get it, but it's a drag to…" he found himself stopping when her hair came to life and was quick to dart down below them.

"Where do you think you dropped it?" Nick asked.

"I am honestly unsure," he admitted. "Do you know how many clangs and clunks echo through this chamber, if something falls?"

"Is this it?" Agatha asked and brought up a small wrench-like tool.

"No, but that was lost a few weeks back. I'm glad I don't need to buy another one," Garrus chuckled. Several more tools were brought up, and he found himself groaning. "Something tells me that Zaeed was drunk off his ass _again_ while fixing these guns…"

Agatha gave a soft chuckle and shook her head. At how he was watching her now, Nick suddenly asked, "And what do you find so fascinating with our Empress?"

"I really want to know what makes her as she is. I've never met someone like her before. As much as everything is screaming at me to run away, I think it's worth the effort to figure her out," Garrus shrugged. "I'm just looking out for the crew."

"Oh, cut the bullshit!" Alex snarled through Nick. "She can't love you. She can't belong to you. She is mine. Hera, let's go. This guy's talking out of his ass now."

"What?" Garrus seemed to glower.

"Alex, stop it," Agatha said sternly.

"Alex?!" Garrus blinked.

"Yeah. I have the ability to come through this drone. It's to ensure she behaves, and to keep your sorry ass away!" the drone growled. Then it paused when she whispered softly in its ear. Now it looked at her with a touch of surprise. At a bit more whispering, Alex found himself thinking. Now he had the drone ask, "What do you think Robert would say?"

"Nothing yet. As far as I'm concerned, nothing major is going to happen. I'm talking about when the shit hits the fan. I try to think ahead," she smiled.

"I'll think it over. Until then, it's a no," it muttered. She kissed Nick's cheek and let it pull her away. The drones escorting her gave Garrus small side glances, but they followed her without question.

"What the hell was that about?" he grumbled to himself. He needed answers. As he walked down to the main helm, he was now alarmed _. She was nowhere around with her group._ _Something was very off._ He took out his gun, but he quickly heard her laughter at that. Even more confusing was that the laugh came from _above_ him…

"Oh, you are so silly! You have potential," she purred out in her ethereal tone. Now he stood there with shock to see her camouflage effect slowly phase out to reveal her tentacled hair that held it. She was able to pull the drones in easily, as she cloaked over them by hanging along the ceiling poles. She had learned how to cocoon herself in an invisible way with anyone she wanted near her. This was done when there was a near-attack on a hotel she was visiting. Alex was highly amused when she hid herself and him from the raiding party. The group of twenty didn't last five minutes after she revealed them. He really liked this talent of hers, and she always put it to use when she could.

"I…" he was simply too speechless. He just knew that something was clearly wrong about what just happened, but it was her attitude that threw him off. _She appeared to be pleased._

"You can call it a small test of worth," she chuckled. "Maybe, in time, you'll get a private audience with me. You passed this small test. You realized right away that something was odd. That sort of quick thinking reminds me of Robert. Interesting…"

"It's called common sense," he said.

"Ah. Something that many lack, too. I like that," she grinned softly. He watched her with a sense of complete fascination, as she lowered herself down to the main platform with the drones. Each of them was set down with a gentle form of motherly care with a mild caress from a tendril. They were not only her main escort, but they were her family.

"What are you testing me for?" Garrus asked. Then he paused at how the tendrils of hair suddenly lashed out and coiled around his limbs to bring his mandibled face up close to hers. Nick found itself hiding the grin on its face. _She was trying to scare Garrus straight._

"Your resolve," she said in a soft, throaty whisper. His eyes went wide. Then, with a chuckle, she set him back down on his feet. "So far, you're catching my interest. My advice to you is this. You don't want me to be interested in you. Bad things happen. I'm always hunted. It's something that can't be helped. And, once I become known out here, every fucking scientist out there will be hungering for DNA they can't have. A rather viscous cycle."

"I'll be keeping an eye on you," he warned. Then he saw the drones tense with warning, but she waved her hand at them with a small smile to settle them down.

"That you should. I'm _far_ more dangerous than Alex. Because, if I want something…I tend to get it. Just remember that," she winked. At how he watched her pass by him, he heard her murmur out, "If you know what's best for you, you'll drop your interest in me, too."

"It's a shame. I never really listened to that voice of reason in my thick skull," he muttered. At her small laugh and head shake, he realized that he was starting to play with fire. The more sensible part of him wanted to douse it. The other more wild and reckless side of him wanted to see how far and fast the fire would spread. Unfortunately, it was his reckless side that always won out.

After she left, he reflected on what happened for five full minutes. Then he went to find John. When he reached the helm, he stopped to hear the conversation.

"How many drones are on the ship right now?" John asked.

"Twenty. Not counting the five head ones here," Alex said calmly.

"And they were latched onto the ship?!" Joker was heard asking. "How did they clear the atmosphere? I just…geez. My mind is blown."

"We can survive nuclear blasts. The drones don't need oxygen to breathe. We put them in vacuum tunnels and deep pressure stress tests. They don't explode from lack of oxygen, because they simply don't need it. I had one deep dive to the bottom of one of those trapped jungle pools. The most it lost was a little hair from its head from the acidic water near the bottom, but a few shave themselves bald on purpose. If anything's weird, it's how the hair grows back," Alex chuckled. "They also lack true internal organs. They don't eat."

"The perfect killers. And, you said they have natural armor?" John asked.

"Yes, they do," Robert nodded. "Bullet proof, claw proof, weather proof…"  
"Shepard," Garrus said when he walked into the room fully now. Alex gave a small glare at him, but he remained calm. "I don't care if I'm talking out of line here, but why are you so accepting of this?"

"Why?" John asked and regarded his trusted friend. "Because they aren't lying to me."

"That's all it is?" Garrus seemed to frown.

"Yeah. These guys could have torn me to pieces and said nothing. Instead, they openly brought me in. They are informing me of everything that's going on. There are no bits and pieces of bullshit. They're giving me the full plate of it. Weaknesses. Strengths. Perks. All of it. Unlike so many others that keep their shit to themselves, these guys have nothing to hide. Why should they? Yeah, they scare me. I feel that I have to have my eyes open around them. But, at the same time, they are learning about us, too. We are sharing information and cautiousness around each other. There are no games here."

"We are bearing all of our claws to him. He's showing us how much he can take. He's a true soldier of war. He knows what it's like to stare death in the face. Hell, he's been dead, too! So far, I'm impressed. And it's hard to impress me," Alex shrugged. "The rest of the family is also happy with him. I'm not complaining at all."

"And, how much more family do you have?" Garrus asked.

"Let's see…" Alex smirked in thought. "Over ten thousand drones, over a hundred breeder pairs and around thirty Kings and Queens so far. And the numbers keep climbing the more they keep fucking. Does that help?"

"Ten…thousand…" Joker seemed to pale under his scruffy, bearded face.

"Yeah. So…who do you need us to kill?" Alex grinned a touch savagely.

"How strong are you?" Garrus asked him directly.

"Do you have any scrap metal?" Alex asked.

"I think so," John said. "It's in one of the engine rooms. We did need some of it torn down in case we needed welding repairs."

"Take me there," Alex said.

"Okay, I got this girl on auto-pilot," Joker said and pressed a few of the floating commands on the panel in front of him.

"You want EDI to help you?" John asked.

"Nah. I'm fine," he said.

"And when do we get your blood drop?" Alex asked.

"My what?" Joker frowned.

"That's right. They need a drop of your blood, so they can learn how to pilot spacecraft. No, they are not going to take over the ship…" John sighed at Joker's glare.

"Hmm…" Garrus grunted out before turning to leave. He caught Robert watching him carefully. They would likely end up talking soon. As for now, there was too much that needed to be done.

"What's going on?" Wrex asked when he walked over.

"Apparently, Alex is going to show off his strength," Garrus muttered.

"I have to see this," the large reptilian male snickered. "You coming along?"

"No. It's not him I'm worried about."

"And, who else would you be worried about?"

"Who else? His wife," Garrus sighed and walked off to check on the gun calibrations again. Wrex narrowed his eyes at this, but he turned to find Alex shaking his head with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look too happy.

"I think I pity that bastard," Alex sighed.

"Why is that?" Wrex asked and moved to follow him.

"He is purposely drawing attention to himself without realizing it. You show curiosity at a distance. It's a form of wary respect, and I get that. It's what I am also doing for you. As for him, he keeps getting up close and personal," he muttered.

"Hmm," Wrex thought aloud, as they walked. "It only spells out trouble for me if any turian follows another around."

"And, why do you say that?"

"Because it's the truth. They always want to make sure that everyone is safe and sound. Their race is like that. The turians. As for mine, the krogan, it's all about dominance. War. Killing things. You know?"

"All too well," Alex chuckled.

"I can see why Shepard likes you. But, I'm all for a show of strength. So, I'll see how strong you are," Wrex chuckled. Alex nodded and found his way into the room that held large pieces of scrap metal parts. There were chalk-like markings on it for the lasers to cut down to size.

"I'm not one for following the lines," Alex said. "I'm used to making a mess."

"You don't have to with this piece. Just cut it down into smaller parts, if you could," John said. Alex brought out his claws and swiped neatly through it. When it fell into several, seamless parts, Wrex barked out with hard laughter. He clearly approved.

"That was…three inches…of solid steel…" Joker gaped. "and it was cut like butter…"

"Was three inches. Correct," Alex grinned.

"What's the hardest metal we have on this ship?" John had to ask.

"I know it would have to be the asteroids," Wrex said. "Thickest pieces of metal out there, you'd think. Either that, or we find something that's really nice and expensive."

"I like how you think," Alex chuckled.

"Heh!" Wrex laughed and nodded.

"Since I kinda need the expensive pieces, we'll find something down the line. Anyways, Joker, can you please give them a drop of your blood?" John asked. "I really do think it's needed."

"Why?" Joker asked.

"Because, if your ass is out cold, one of us can save the ship," Alex grunted out.

"I'd get the ship back when I'm around again?" he asked.

"You would," Alex nodded.

"Well, I don't know what brittle bone disease would taste like for you," he started.

"How about we cure you of that?" Alex grinned.

"What?!" Joker found himself shocked.

"Yeah. My wife's blood is like…a disease killer. It will regulate your body. Fix you up. Whole nine yards. But, it may also come with a price. You'll be locked into the hive mind. We'll be able to hear your thoughts. You can't hear us, but we'll know everything you know. And, that's aside from the blood drop. When you just give us blood, we only gain your memories up to this point. So, you're not locked in. But, if you wanna be cured, you'd need a shot of Agatha's blood. The choice is yours to make. And, we don't give over her blood to just anyone. From what we learned from the Commander here, you're a badass pilot. He trusts your ass in the hot seat more than anyone else he would ever care to admit," Alex said calmly. John gave a small grin and a nod at that.

"That's a major compliment coming from him," Robert said with a small smile.

"I still want to see one of your cars," Joker said.

"The moment we manage to hit my Earth with you, we can make that happen," Alex grinned.

"You able to give me a list of what ya got?" Joker asked.

"Give us the blood drop first. We'll send you a list of what you have in mind," he nodded.

"Eh. Um…" Joker seemed to hesitate. Then he held out his hand. "Okay. Just…be quick."

A drone was quick to appear apply a small anesthetic to the top of his index finger. Then the blood drop was taken. The memories were swiftly gleaned. Now Alex looked at him and said, "Thanks. I'll have a Corvette Stingray and a Lamborghini readied for you to test drive when you reach my Earth."

"Oh, hell yes!" Joker said with excitement.

"I'll even let you pilot a Chinook helicopter," he grinned. Joker's eye twitched, but it was with complete joy. "I have a few on stand-by."

"Alex, I want to ask you something," Wrex said.

"Okay," he nodded.

"Garrus said that it was your mate that was the one he needed to keep an eye on. Is this true?" he asked. Robert gave a small whistle. Alex rose a brow.

"Yeah, I'd say it's true," John chuckled from the reactions given. At the sudden, seething hiss that Alex let out, Robert looked over at him with worry.

"That bitch. She brought it. The one thing…that I didn't want her to bring…" Alex growled.

"You're shitting me!" Robert paled.

"Brought what?" John frowned.

"She's fucking wearing it! I…fuck…" Alex sighed. At the images he was given, he knew he couldn't leave her alone. _I had to be with her._ "How much meat is on this ship? Wait. Never mind. Osiris is bringing up a cooler full of what we need. He'll be here in a couple hours. Good. I'll see you in an hour. You may want to get a steak ready for Kim to cook."

"I'll ensure that," Robert nodded. "Um, she won't need Hunter meat?"

"Nah. She had regular steaks before. Hunter meat is just denser for her. She'll be fine," Alex said calmly. He knew it was true, too.

"What did she bring with her?" John asked.

"The one thing that can be the downfall to any us here. She brought her micro bikini," Robert sighed and hung his head. John looked at him with confusion. Now Robert looked at him with a form of complete shock. "You don't know what a…?"

"Should I know?" John asked.

"Oh, shit. She's _not_ gonna show him!" Alex spat out and bolted swiftly from the room.

"Short version," Robert said mildly. "It's a bathing suit that barely covers what can't be seen."

"Yeah…um…wow…" John blinked. "I don't want to see her…"

"No. You don't," he agreed. Joker was already clearing his throat.

"It's a small ship. It's bound to happen," Wrex grinned a toothy grin.

"Shut up," Robert said. Wrex only laughed and turned to leave the room. In the room quarters that Agatha claimed, Nick was trying to convince her to wear something decent. She was all for causing all sorts of trouble right now. When Alex stormed into the room, Nick stepped aside dutifully. It was actually very relieved that he showed up.

"Hera," Alex said. "You're a bitch."

"So?" she frowned. She was sitting on her knees in the small bed. A pale, cream colored robe was slipping off her shoulders in a rather intricate way to reveal the straps of the bikini underneath it. "I missed you. I knew that this would get you back to me."

"Wait. You did this…on purpose to…?" he asked with a touch of surprise. At how she now moved to rub herself against him, he gave out a small growl of lust. "This is a rather small ship. I don't think a hundred drones would really fit in the ship."

"How about outside of it?" she asked and nipped his neck. He gave in. Now that he was busy making a new set of drones with her, Nick moved to station itself outside the door. At the sight of Liara walking over, it nodded.

"Is Agatha available?" she asked.

"No. My Liege is currently with her. It may be an hour or so before she is free to talk to anyone. What did you need?" it asked. She was caught studying the clothing it wore. She found it odd to see a basic, dark blue pullover and jeans with soft boots being worn. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh! Sorry. Your attire is very…unique," she chuckled.

"It's common for me, of course. I can understand how it's strange for you. Much like how your own attire is strange for me," Nick chuckled. She was wearing a white, one-piece suit of spandex with some armor modifications on it. It was standard for her.

"So, I was told that you are the strongest one of your kind."

"That is true. I was the first drone that hatched. I am the one that guards my Empress with everything I have. My mind is locked to the hive like all the others."

"What is your life span like?"

"That's a tough question," it admitted. "All of us are at least a year old. I was created just a few days after my Empress was awakened from her stasis with the mission to kill my Liege. We are, quite simply put, a very new race to come about. But, my Liege can kill us off by severing us from the hive link. That is our true death. It is possible that we could be recreated with small parts of our DNA. That is stored in a safety facility on our planet."

"I would like to see what your planet is like," she smiled softly.

"Many will. However, our inhabitants do not know of you. They will treat you with complete disrespect. Or many will become overly fanatic about you. It is best that, should you visit, you do not reveal what you are," Nick warned. "It's for the best."

"It is a shame that it must be that way," she admitted. "but I can understand why. What is common to me is not for them. Much like your clothing."

"That's right," it nodded.

"I am curious if one of you can breed with my race. As asari, we don't have a true male species. We sort of…borrow key parts of our partner's DNA sequence," she tried to explain. "We meld our minds with one we find desirable. Of course, we can do this to gain information, but, most of the time, this is done to bring forth our own offspring."

"It would be interesting to test with, but I cannot allow myself to be a candidate. I am responsible for the safety of my Empress. The five strongest here only serve her. Perhaps another drone will work. But, I cannot be used. She may kill you, if you attempt it."

"I was not suggesting that!" she said with a hard frown.

"Likely not now. I am simply cementing that it cannot be done," Nick said lightly. She nodded at this, and she brought up some more general topics. As the drone spoke with her, a good twenty minutes went by smoothly.

"Zeus," Agatha sighed and rested against him.

"Hmm?" Alex mumbled out.

"What do you think of what happened earlier?" she asked.

"With what?"

"The one that won't leave me out of his thoughts."

"Oh. That one," he grunted and kept her close to him. He wasn't done with her yet, and he had no plans to leave her alone. An hour usually passed by with no problem. But, when her mind was preoccupied with worry, small conversations did happen here and there. "If he continues his aimless pursuit, he'll have to talk to Robert. No other way around it. You tried to scare him. You showed him how much of a bitch you can be. I kinda think it's turning him on."

"Oh, please…" she rolled her eyes.

"He's pushing his advances on you in a way he's not really implying to. By this time, he'd be minding his own business. Right now, yeah, he's polishing up a gun. But, he's also using the scope to find out more about our little planet filled with morons. The drones are constantly watching him. Why did we decide to hatch out that egg?"

"Ah, we both agreed to do that. The real question is this. Who's idea was it to make the phone call?" she smirked. He mildly glared at her, but he knew she was right. "Anyways, with the way he's been asking questions, I doubt he'll find out much about us."

"And, as much as I don't like to think about it, I don't know what to make of the situation. He'd have to convince me to let anything work. And, he'd have to convince Robert. That would be fun to listen in on! But, in all actuality, I don't think he knows what he really wants."

"Let it stay that way. Hopefully he won't find out what he wants."

"He will, if he decides to talk to Osiris. Or any of the others that come on board. In fact…heh. Fuck it. Let him talk them. It will keep him away from you. We'll just stay here until they get here," he snickered. At her glowing look of approval, he kissed her passionately and brought her back under his thumb with a sharp thrust. It was easy to keep her from worrying now. He simply brought her form of doubt into his own head. It was easy enough to ignore in full and go back to it later.


	6. Chapter 6

When the second transport ship finally docked, fifteen drones jumped off the outside of the small ship. Thanatos, Lelantos and Osiris were the first ones out when the main door opened. Their mates were next, but Hermanubis and Sigyn were still inside to carefully hand over the precious containers of Hunter hearts that they personally collected. The meat would be crucial to sustain their mother. The salarian egg was quickly taken up in a careful way by the drones to be delivered to a specialized incubation tank. Osiris and Isis were quick to find the main helm to study what they could.

"It's standard procedure for us," Osiris explained calmly when he was questioned. "Isis and I were always the first to infiltrate a base to study it. We won't harm you."

"I would hope not," Joker seemed to frown. When he first saw Isis, he was floored at her perfection in face and form. As always, Agatha's beauty ruled the roost. It was simply instinctive for her daughters to nearly rival her in both beauty and stature.

"Isis!" Robert chuckled and got lightly tackled by his daughter. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, Father," she smiled and kissed his cheek. He got a hug by Osiris next. Then he shocked his son by giving him a knuckle rub on top of his head.

"Hey! You only do that to Dionysus!" he scowled.

"Just showing that I can do that to any of you," Robert grinned. "Apollo stayed behind?"

"For now. He's ensuring that a proper supply of meat for Mother is ready for transport. Hypnos is going to wait and see where Mother is going to be permanently settled. Or at least settled long enough to get himself to her side. The business we have is self-sustaining. It's not going anywhere," he said.

"Business?" John asked.

"Yes. We are called 'Viral Exterminations' on Earth. If there's a problem, they call us. We get a drone on the scene within seconds to take care of it. Most of it is for pest control. We even did neighborhood night watches for a small fee from that community. As much as the thugs complained, they stopped bitching at us when we sent over the heads of their leaders. That…shut them up. Permanently," Osiris chuckled. John could only nod with complete approval at that.

"You killed them?" Joker frowned.

"These are local killers, too. Thugs that slipped out from the court system. All we do is give the tax payers a break, and a little more paperwork for the feds," Isis chuckled.

"But their families…" Joker started.

"Half of the thugs we deal with are from the streets. They gave up on their true families and made their own," Osiris said calmly. "They know what they did and don't care."

"Hmm. Should send your drones in to clean up a few areas I know of," John mused.

"We can also give you a personal drone escort on your missions," Isis beamed. Now John found himself laughing softly in thought of that. "Also, if you did want to retire, we could clone you and let a drone take it over. The drone would take your place in society, and you could live out your life peacefully. If you wanted that."

"Very tempting," he admitted. "But, I like being in action. We'll see what happens down the line. I may take you up on that."

"Of course," Osiris chuckled.

"We put the hearts in the freezer," Hermanubis said when he walked into the area.

"Hearts?" Joker asked.

"Yeah. Giant ones from some nasty fuckers," he grinned wickedly.

"I got some phone footage!" Sigyn grinned and pulled out her android phone.

"I have only seen that in a museum…" John blinked. She barked out laughter now. "And it works?! Amazing…"

"At least you know what it is," Robert laughed softly. Now that John saw what a Hunter looked like, he found himself frozen with a form of complete shock.

"How…large is that…?" he had to ask.

"Oh, it only stands about fifteen feet tall. Weighed in at…what? Three tons?" Sigyn asked.

"You're fucking with me," John blinked.

"Nope! Oooh! We brought in a head from one of them. A little wall decoration for Mother. Want to see it?" Hermanubis beamed proudly. Robert rolled his eyes at his son.

"Okay, children," Robert warned. "Don't scare our hosts."

"Well, Hypnos wanted to bring the pets with him…" Sigyn started.

"You tell him _right now_ that he is not allowed!" Robert snapped.

"You can't tell this guy yourself?" Joker asked.

"No. I'm a true blue-blood human. As Agatha's prime stud, I help her make the kids. I can't hear into the conversations. It's something I don't like, but my kids care about me enough to tell me what's going on. It works out that way," he explained.

"Care about you enough? Father!" Sigyn scowled and snuggled into him. He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Without you, we wouldn't be here. Same for our Emperor."

"Best remember that," he smiled and squeezed her. "Where is your mother?"

"Um…still with our Emperor," Osiris said lightly.

"He's still fucking her? Wait. Ugh. He can't leave her side until her hunger is fully appeased. All right. Anyways, what else is there for us to do now that you all are here?" he asked.

"What would you like us to do? You direct us, we will work with you," Osiris smiled. John rose a brow at that and began to go over what could be done. Lelantos was busy going over the ship's defenses. When he reached the core of the ship, Tali stopped him.

"Who are you?" she asked with a form of wary uncertainty.

"My name is Lelantos. I am a King. One that helps my Emperor in making the drones, you could say. I just wanted to see what this core is all about. I'm always one that likes to know my surroundings. If I can't see it, can you tell me about it?" he asked calmly. He already knew that various drones infiltrated every corner of the ship. He was simply out and about to meet the crew. He liked to know who he was working with on various levels. Thanatos was chumming with Wrex on different ways to kill things. He was clearly enjoying the conversation.

"And, why should I impart our precious secrets to you?" she asked and put her hands on her hips.

"Ah, we got a blood drop from John. We know all the secrets. We just like to put secrets to facts. That's all," Lelantos seemed to shrug. "We are allies and working together. Why should we keep secrets about things that will help us kick the ass of this war?"

"Some secrets are meant to be kept," she warned. He watched her eyes under her mask. He knew she was testing him. He decided to up the ante.

"Oh? So, as the humans say, you have skeletons in a closet that are meant to stay there?" he grinned a touch wickedly. She just stared at him when his claws grew out. He was starting to see her as a form of prey. She was in trouble and didn't even know it.

 _:Lelantos. Stop it. Now.:_ Alex growled at him. The drones were always telling him what was going on. The King paused and blinked with his own form of surprise. Reason swiftly returned to him from Alex's mental shake down. The claws quickly reverted back to his hands, and he cleared his throat.

"My apologies. I enjoy hunting far too much. For a moment…I almost lost myself. It won't happen again," he promised and gave her a small nod of respect.

"What just happened?" Tali asked with a wary tone.

"I started to see you as my prey," he sighed. "It's a bad habit. I need to curb it around allies."

"Me? As prey?!" she gasped.

"Yes. I was getting ready to force you to give over what you knew. As an ally, such a thing cannot be forced. So, I will back down and leave you be," he said. When he turned, Tali stepped forward to stop him. He glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Um…" she started. "I was wondering…"

"I do have a mate. And she's as deadly as I am. But, if you have a different question, I can answer it," he said and turned to regard her.

"I was not going to ask you out on a date!" Tali scoffed. "I was going to ask what you wanted to know about the core. If you promise not to use such knowledge against us, I can answer certain questions. Is that a deal?"

"You have my agreement and undivided attention," he chuckled softly.

 _:Good. Treat her as a baby sister. Got it?:_ Alex said carefully.

 _:Yes, my Emperor.:_ Lelantos agreed in full. Hypnos was, of course, paying close attention to everything. As Eir rested against him in their bed in the Japan base on Earth, he was calmly directing what questions to ask. He chuckled at her beaming smile.

"You are enjoying yourself," she giggled softly.

"You know I am," he smiled and kissed her gently. He refocused on the link again, and he found his attention being directed to Hermanubis and Sigyn. They were in the kitchen and found by Liara.

"What is that?!" the asari gasped at the sheer size of the frozen heart.

"It's a heart from something called a Hunter. We tamed a few of the smaller ones, but the larger ones are far more feral in nature. So, we eat them!" Hermanubis grinned. "We need to thaw this out for Mother. You know her as our Emperor's wife."

"Oh! You are Agatha's children?" she asked.

"That we are," Sigyn smiled.

"What are your names?" she asked.

"I'm Hermanubis. This is Sigyn. She's my twin sister, and she's my mate, too. Yes, it's how my family works. I always say not to think about it too much," he advised. "We are known as breeders. We just help make more drones. We don't have the ability to make more breeders."

"So, what is the purpose of the Kings, if they have the same ability?" she asked.

"Think of them as Commanders," Sigyn suggested. "We could be seen as Captains."

"Possibly. But, I'm still confused about how everything really works," she admitted.

"Okay. I'll try to break it down for you. Mother makes the true Queens and Kings. We do have specialized breeders that can bond with non-viral mates to make Queens and Kings, too. Mother sort of…makes the mates of their children. Of the Queens and Kings she didn't create. She also makes the special breeders than can bond outside of our viral hive mind. Only she can do this. The Kings help with more drones in a faster way, as well as give us hive strength and placement. Breeders can only make more drones. The Queens are with their Kings for drone making, but they can also mate with a non-viral stud male to help make their own breeders," Hermanubis was able to lightly explain. "Only a non-viral stud male can make breeders. It's why our Father is needed."

"But, if the Queens can do that…oh! You said only Agatha can make the proper mates for them?" Liara asked with sudden understanding. Sigyn smiled and nodded. "And, it would be the same for others that wish to join up?"

"Yes. Mother has a purpose this way. If she didn't, well…" Sigyn frowned.

"She'd fall apart," Hermanubis grimaced. "We witnessed it about to happen before."

"By the Goddess…" Liara said with a form of sadness.

"But, our Emperor always tells her that her purpose is for him. So she's safe," Sigyn nodded.

"That's good to know," she said. "So, if one like myself wants to have a possible mate…?"

"Mother could make one for you, but you would need a shot of her blood. It makes you compatible with us, and it pulls you into the family, so to speak. We would hear your thoughts. You couldn't hear us, but you can think of it as a form of trust and initiation," Hermanubis said.

"Oh! That would be something to think about. Not right now, of course, but…maybe down the line. Um, what all does she eat? And, can I see what these Hunters look like? I mean…if it's possible…" Liara tried to ask. Sigyn grinned and brought out her cell phone. "That is the most basic of any form of hardware I've ever seen!"

"And we know it," Hermanubis laughed softly. "We warned that our tech isn't as savvy as yours. You didn't believe us?"

"Well…" she seemed to blush. At the sight of the video coming up with the Hunter, she gasped. "This also plays vids! And…that creature is…by the Goddess…"

"It's a nasty little fucker, isn't it?" Sigyn grinned.

"Define 'little'?" Liara asked to get them laughing. As they now told her about the Hunters, Osiris found himself walking to where Garrus was located. It was only a matter of time for him to be approached again. They were avoiding the Medical Bay for now, though. The salarian egg was delivered and being given a full health examination. They'd get the status of it later.

"Restricted area," Garrus muttered.

"I have clearance by Commander Shepard," Osiris said.

"You don't have clearance by me," the turian retorted.

"And, if it was my Mother approaching you? Would you have turned her away, too?" he asked. At the silent glare, he smiled lightly. "I appreciate your honesty."

"What is there to be honest about? I have no say-so when it comes to her. She seems to ignore even the most basic of rules and regulations."

"Wow. You do know how Mother thinks! Interesting…"

"It's only obvious! And, she has some clearance, because she found items that I don't need to waste the credits on. She earned a mild pass."

"And you're still missing items?" Osiris asked calmly.

"I have no idea. But, I cannot let you stay here," Garrus said. "You don't have proper clearance."

"Make me leave," Osiris smirked. Garrus was just about to go to a wall panel, but Nick showed up from the drone report. At the sight of the drone, the breeder male tensed.

"Osiris. What the fuck are you doing?" Nick asked carefully. It was clearly Alex in control.

"I was checking out the weapons," he said.

"Fuck you. Get back to the main helm. Now," the drone ordered. Osiris cleared his throat and quickly left. Then Nick looked over at Garrus to nod. "Sorry about that. You won't be disturbed again."

"Small question," Garrus said. Nick nodded to show it was listening. "How is Agatha fairing?"

"Why would you care?" the drone asked.

"Because it's my duty to ensure that all is well on the ship," he replied.

"Heh. Sure it is. But, she's pregnant again. She'll be giving birth to the eggs within a few hours. If you want to see her, you could. But, that's if you feel that your precious guns can survive some time without you. The choice is yours. I have to get back to guarding her. See you around," it smirked and quickly walked away. Garrus seemed to swear softly to himself.

"Why am I even bothering with this?" he growled to himself.

"Because you like her."

He turned swiftly at the female tone to find Tethys smiling softly from where she appeared. She had used her camouflage to stealth in and watch what happened. "Who are you? How did you get in here?!"

"I followed Osiris in. I am Tethys. A Queen. Thanatos is my King and husband. Our Empress is my Grandmother," she smiled. Her Japanese beauty and grace would always amaze any that saw a Queen in full. Even though her fully figured body was hidden behind a beautifully made, jade green, silken kimono, he knew she was deadly. "You know you're likely just setting yourself up for failure. Grandmother is trying to help you see that. She's only trying to warn you."

"I know she is. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm surprised at myself for not listening to her advice," he admitted.

"I can only wonder why that is," she frowned softly. "We do see you as an ally now. We don't want to pick a fight with anyone here. And, we do find it rather odd at how quickly we are accepted."

"We are only accepting the lot of you, because we trust Commander Shepard. I hold him with incredibly high respect. If he says you all are allies, then I believe him. He's never steered us wrong. And, from I can tell, none of you intend to do that, either," he said with a sigh. "Truthfully, I'd rather shoot you all dead and call it a day!"

"That would be something to try," she giggled. Then he saw her black hair shift and form the same lethal tentacles that Agatha had. "All of us with long hair have Grandmother's ability. We are simply based on our range, though. Grandmother is able to stretch her hair out for a good hundred feet around, I think. She's still evolving."

"Evolving?"

"Yes. We adapt instinctively to our surroundings."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you are an ally. And you need to know," she said gravely. Then she moved swiftly up to him to clasp his three-fingered hands in hers. "We know you mean us no harm. We know you only seek the truth. We are willing to give you that truth. But, you must also welcome us as friends. As a form of family, even. Yes, you just met us. But…you do see Grandmother differently. We know you do. You can't stop watching her. As much as it is alarming, it's also…well…entertaining, too."

"Entertaining?" he mused. She chuckled and released his hands. For some odd reason, he felt a bit of brotherly affection towards her. He was starting to see her as a bit of a little sister. He wanted to shake his head to rid himself of the sensation, but he couldn't do that in front of her. "Anyways, I don't know how the Council will feel about a new race like yours."

"Oh, we had an idea. We were going to attempt to colonize a planet that no one can live on," she beamed at him. Now he blinked at that idea. He began to laugh softly with understanding.

"And, how do you plan to get your, eh, drones to such a place? It would take months for your people to get to a planet," he said. "Interstellar travel isn't like throwing a stone across a room."

"We know that!" she smiled and gave a sisterly elbow nudge to his armored side. "John and our Emperor are working on that, as we speak. He's going to let us borrow one of the small transport ships here to help with that. Hypnos will work with some of the more raw materials. He's been sent schematics and other pieces of equipment to help him. He's planning to slightly modify the transport ship. You could say that Hypnos is our main intelligence of the hive mind."

"I am curious how he plans to modify a transport ship," he admitted. "Tali could give him some pointers. Not sure how…"

"We can ask Tali various questions and work with her answers. We are all connected," Tethys said. She was going to say more, but an alert suddenly sounded through the ship.

"That means that we either have company, or something hostile is approaching!" he growled. "Come on! We need to check it out!"

"On it!" she nodded and quickly followed him to the main bridge. When they got there, Wrex was already seething with a form of rage. There was a ship in the distance that he was glaring at.

"Rogue krogan. I recognize the vessel," he growled.

"So…it's an enemy ship?" Lelantos smirked.

"Very," John sighed. "Likely a mercenary crew."

"Good. Let them board," Thanatos grinned wickedly.

"What? Why? Wait…" Joker blinked.

"You want to let hostiles into the ship?" a female voice came out from around them.

"EDI, recall what their drones can do," John said.

"Ah! Camouflage, espionage and total destruction?" she asked.

"So, what would you say if we gave you a new ship?" Osiris asked.

"Nah. You all can have it," Wrex grinned wickedly.

"We'll need to learn how to drive it, but we can consume them and find out how," Osiris nodded. When Garrus arrived with Tethys, Thanatos walked over to grin widely at his mate.

"Want to help fuck up an enemy ship and claim it as our own?" he asked.

"Gladly!" she beamed. "Oh! We can donate this ship to Hypnos…"

"He'll take it. Another King and Queen will occupy the Japanese base," Osiris grinned. "We'll get the drones into position now."

"And what do we do?" Garrus asked.

"Nothing. We'll handle the dirty work. Let them board up. If they're smart, they'll sense it's a trap and stay put. If they're stupid and think you're just giving up, then we won the fight. Of course, we'll just let them get close enough to float some drones over. They'll work a way in and fuck them up from the inside," Lelantos snickered darkly. Wrex was already sitting down from laughing so hard. He couldn't wait to see what happened next.


	7. Chapter 7

The rogue krogans took the sudden submission as a new conquest. They felt that the ship was inferior and had no way to defend itself. They didn't do any research on the ships out there, and they only saw the Normandy as a basic scouting ship that they hoped to claim and use as their own. The drones were able to carefully move out of an emergency airlock from the Normandy and wait patiently for the other ship to move closer. Once it was within docking distance, they made the transfer to the large, yet cumbersome spacecraft. There was no chance for the enemy to escape.

Thirty drones latched onto the outside of the enemy ship's airlock. Six drones waited just inside the main boarding bay. When the first krogan charged in with a roar of defiance, he was shocked. _The area was empty._ Or so he thought when a lesser drone of Robin suddenly charged down the main entryway with its hammers out and slammed him against a wall. The force was so devastating that the krogan died instantly with his insides crushed in with his own splintered rib-cage.

Three lesser drones of Nick jumped down from the ceiling to drive their claws right through the skulls of the next three krogan that appeared. It was one of the few outer weak points of them, and John's memories easily revealed this. When one tried to run away, a lesser version of Kim easily pulled the pitiful thing back to them with a whip-claw. It was a krogan crew of twenty, toughened and seasoned mercenaries. They were cut down in a very humiliating way by the time ten minutes was up.

"We have the leader," Hermanubis smirked. "Wanna see him?"

"I do," Wrex said and moved to follow him. John nodded to Garrus to show they were going, too. The turian pulled out his gun and readied it.

"Don't bother. Our drones already got into the ship the moment the main airlock was cleared. We have full control of the ship now," Osiris said. "We consumed two of the krogan into our fold, so we know how the ship fully functions. Not sure if the name 'Bash-Stomp' will work. Hypnos may rename it to something else."

"Bash-Stomp?" Wrex asked with confusion. "That's a new one."

"They were never good at names. Even when it came to naming kids," Garrus shrugged. At the warning glare from Wrex, the turian wisely backed down.

"The ship's in rough shape. It will take some time to get it up to standards that Hypnos needs it in. And by that, I mean he accepts the challenge to fix it up," Osiris chuckled.

"We found a listing of planets locked into the main helm's computer. Tell me, Shepard, do you know what planets Nepheron and Presrop are?" Isis asked when she walked over to him.

"We don't touch those planets. They have monsters called threshers on them. Very dangerous. Very hard to kill. The krogan use them as tests of strength, though," he said.

"Yes. My clan, Urdnot, is one of the most known. I am the chief, and I'm only here because Shepard needs my help," Wrex nodded. "I was able to kill a thresher and earn my place."

"How big do they get?" Lelantos asked.

"They tunnel underground. If you can kill one to eat it, you could eat for months," Wrex snickered. "We would have grand feasts with those!"

"We will find one of the planets," he grinned.

"Sounds like a new home base," Osiris nodded. "We'll look into it."

"You would make a colony on an infested planet?" John frowned.

"How else would you think anything would survive on it, if we found thresher meat to be substantial? We could be natural killers," Thanatos grinned. That got John clearing his throat with a small smile. "And, if this meat is a delicacy, we can turn it into a trade."

At this said, Wrex turned to look at him directly. "If you manage to kill them for sport, you are sending me the finest cuts of each one you kill!"

"Done!" Thanatos said and shook his hand.

"If the meat is what I remember it being, a trade would be a nice welcome with the krogan," Wrex said with approval. "I am curious of this mercenary leader."

"The very same," Osiris said. "Of course, you would trade with credits, right? We would need a new form of some kind of currency in this age."

"Credits. Supplies. Whatever would be available on hand," Wrex said, as they walked into the other ship. The drones were already scrubbing floors and fixing up cables. Tali was soon escorted in, and she began to head directly to the engine of the ship to study it and figure out what was needed.

"Something tells me that this ship was the Reaper blip," Robert mused to John.

"Quite possible. Many ships can put up false markings to hide themselves. I just find it odd that Joker saw the blip, and now it's nowhere to be found. I don't know what to make of it," John muttered.

"Stealth tech?" Isis asked.

"Not sure. I hope not," he admitted.

"If you can't find ways to detect it, then Hypnos may be able to come up with something. Anyways, how much time passed?" Robert asked. Osiris showed him the phone clock. "Okay. Three hours. Agatha will be moving about again in another four, if it all goes well."

"She can't move?" Garrus asked.

"Not yet. She can give birth to over a hundred drone eggs at a time. I think she almost hit two hundred eggs this past month. This ship will definitely have a crew," Robert chuckled.

"What?" Garrus asked with surprise.

"And, with breeder eggs, she can only go up to ten at a time. Five breeding sets. But, she can make specialized eggs, too. The eggs are larger, and that's why. Drone eggs seem to be smaller and more compact. And, that's only because they are meant to be birthed in waves," Osiris explained. "When Isis and I make drones, they don't seem so…refined. Mother also seems to be the only one able to make the intense amount of drone eggs with our Emperor. The rest of us seem a touch limited to under a hundred at a time. Even the Queens seem to only give out around a hundred and fifty, but it would make sense with Mother being our Empress."

"Interesting," Garrus mused aloud. Something kept nudging him in the back of his mind to check on Agatha. Since the ship was no longer a threat, he found himself going back to the Normandy. Hermanubis glanced at Osiris at this. They both rolled their eyes at each other.

 _:He likes her. Let's face it.:_ Hermanubis sighed.

 _:He'll be in for a wake-up call.:_ Alex growled. As the drones watched Garrus walk back through the Normandy, Garrus found himself pausing at the sight of Nick walking over to him. He realized that he knew who this drone was. There was an air of power around it. And the stalking, calm stance given only proved it further. It crossed its arms over its chest and regarded the turian.

"Why are you worried about her?" it asked.

"I don't know. It's not like me. I should be with the others looking over the ship. Checking the weapons. I just…gah! I can't figure this out!" he growled.

"Hmm…" Nick frowned. At the sight of Alex walking out of the room, it moved to go sit with Agatha to guard her. Garrus looked over at him and straightened.

"Why are you acting as though you have a constant hard-on around her?" Alex asked mildly. "The only one I've seen act like this is Robert, and she chose him from the start."

"I feel like I'm missing some key things about her," he said.

"Alex!" Agatha called out. He glanced over his shoulder at her now. "Show him my first memories. Hypnos was able to upload a copy to your laptop, right?"

"Hmm. You think so?" Alex asked.

"Trust me," she said. "Remember that whole bit I said in the beginning about female intuition?"

"I guess," he muttered out. Then he looked at Garrus and said, "Before she was awakened, she was able to hear various conversations said about her. She has her first 24 hours of memories saved before I intervened. This included what she saw when she finally did open her eyes. My conversation with her isn't there, though. Only what the satellite gathered was able to be recorded. They had a bomb implanted in her and ready to go off remotely, if she fucked up. And, when she agreed to finally join up with me, if they found out…"

"She 'finally' agreed?" Garrus asked. Alex sighed hard and motioned for him to follow. Nick was already setting up the laptop for viewing. "Well now. Isn't that primitive…"

"All of our shit is," Alex smirked. Then he saw how Garrus was staring with disbelief at the size of Agatha's belly. "Look. Don't touch."

"I wasn't planning to," he grunted.

"Alex, don't worry," she sighed and winced at a bit of stretching. Nick carefully pulled her up to support her. "Let him watch my memories."

"Sit here," Alex said and positioned the laptop easily. The file was brought up and played. Of course, only the key parts of her memories were pulled together. Hypnos had all of the original footage, but, for quick reviewing, he knew some things had to be kept short and simple. There was at least two hours' worth of sound and footage there. Garrus was going to glean all of it.

On the deck of the Bash-Stomp, Wrex was seething at the sight of the main Captain. He knew who this krogan was. He was highly pissed.

"I remember you," Wrex grounded out. "You thought you could muscle your way in to Clan Urdnot! And you failed. Miserably!"

"You didn't give me a fair chance!" the war-scarred krogan snarled out. He was on his knees with his hands in cuffs behind him. The armor he wore seemed to be stolen from another krogan, but who knew where it came from anymore.

"You had the same chance that I did! To kill a thresher! You sought to replace me. You failed. This is your cost for failure, Bursh!" Wrex said with a heavy glare.

"Bursh? That's his name?" Osiris mused. "Was there a burping contest going on when he was named? Amazing…"

"Seems the most likely," Lelantos snickered. Bursh scowled at this and looked away. He clearly wasn't happy. He knew he was wanted back on the krogan home world for acts of violence, too. His fate was sealed. Lelantos thought and said, "So, what do we do with him?"

"He has too many counts of crime against him. We could kill him, but there's a nice reward out on him. I say we claim the reward," Wrex said.

"Can we kill him after?" Thanatos grinned. Wrex now looked at him with a grisly smile.

"What happens after that, well…just don't tell me," he seemed to snicker.

"We should take him the Citadel, and let the Council decide," John said.

"And then what? They slap you on the wrist for going off mission?" Hermanubis asked.

"I'll have to make a phone call. And, I'll need Robert and Alex with me. I can call my superior. He was my Captain before. He now represents the human race for the Council, and he gave me control of the SSV Normandy," he explained. At the mention of the ship's name, Bursh let out a gasp.

"I was after the Normandy?! Damn…" Bursh muttered.

"And that's why you got caught," Thanatos grinned. "Also, your men died, because John just found us. We're a new race. And we could eat things like you on a spit."

 _:I do wonder what krogan flesh tastes like. Save a few of the bodies?:_ Lelantos wisely asked in the link. Agreements were made all around. Then he openly asked, "How long before you're expected to go back to them, John? Another day or two?"

"About that long. It's why I have to get in contact with my superior with Robert and Alex as my proof of reasoning. And, with that egg…I just don't know. Mordin is in the lab with it now. I think it's time to pay him a visit. As for this guy, we'll lock him up," John said with a gesture to Bursh.

"Drones will be ready with guarding him. They don't need to eat or sleep," Hermanubis nodded. "From what your memories can tell us, this David Anderson will help us?"

"He's my mentor. He is one I can fully confide in. I have his back, and he has mine. I would trust no other with anything else," John said with pure confidence. "Hell, he was the only one that really believed me with the Reapers!"

 _:Oh. Can you ask him why in the hell the Reapers went with a ship that looks like something I would find for sushi?:_ Agatha chimed in on the link. That got many of her family to start laughing hard. _:I am dead serious! Hmm. Now I want calamari…:_

 _:I will have some sent you.:_ Hypnos chuckled. Alex was pressing a loving kiss to her mouth at her comment. She never ceased to amaze him.

"I have to join up with Robert and John. I'll be back quickly," Alex muttered in her ear. She nodded and sighed with a small wince from a slow stretch of her belly. He ran a loving hand over it and got up to look at Garrus. "I have a meeting to go to. If I don't get back before she's about to give birth, you'll be escorted out. I should be back, though. Only I can help her with the eggs. We tried it with another before. She simply couldn't give birth until I got to her."

"I understand," Garrus said calmly while watching the memories. A quiet rage had already filtered through his mind. If he ever saw Leopold's living body, he knew he'd be filling it full of lead. When Alex left, she tried a small experiment. When Garrus felt the feel of a tentacle from Agatha's hair moving to gently settle over his shoulders, he let out a small sigh. He couldn't feel anything from her thoughts, but he actually felt a touch of relief at it.

"Why do you feel this way about me?" she asked him softly.

"I wish I knew," he muttered.

"There is much about me that you should know. As well as shouldn't know."

"I figured."

"You could talk to Robert. Since he is her stud, he can tell you various things in his words," Nick suggested. Garrus simply nodded and continued to watch the small screen. He hardly knew her. He barely understood her. Yet, he knew he would kill anything that tried to touch her. He blinked when the video suddenly paused from Nick's remote.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Give us a drop of blood," it said. Garrus thought for half a second before extending his three-fingered hand. His blue drop of blood was quickly gained for the hive to glean his memories. "You have been through a lot of shit."

"Haven't we all?" Garrus chuckled.

"It would be nice to see the Citadel. If it's a city within it, I think it would be fun to explore," Agatha mused. "Maybe even find a few new outfits to wear."

"I could tell you of a good place or two," he offered.

"We'll hit you up on that," Nick nodded. "Did you want to finish off the memories?"

"In a moment," Garrus said. "I think I need a break from the bullshit."

"Good idea," Agatha smiled warmly.

"Also, if that fat fuck ever came back…" Garrus growled dangerously.

"We were planning to make clones of him for us to kill off," Nick smirked.

"Brand my name on one of them. Preferably right on a fat ass," he said. "I need to make sure I have at least one kill shot ensured."

"We'll arrange it," Nick nodded. Agatha just laughed softly at this. As the two of them began to talk about various places that were good to visit, Alex and Robert followed John to a conference chamber. A scanner came out to create a 3-D display of an older man in a military suit. John sighed and nodded.

"You're late on your mission status," the man's voice projected.

"It's because I discovered a new race to help us with the Reapers," he said and gestured to Alex.

"Hi. My name is Alex Mercer. I'm known as the Blacklight Virus. You want me and my ever-growing family to fuck up something? I'm cool with it. Just tell him," Alex said and gestured to John.

"What?!" the man said with surprise.

"They took out an entire ship filled with rogue krogan. In less than ten minutes," John chuckled. "And, they plan to colonize themselves on a thresher home world."

"How did you find them?" he asked.

"Well, Dave," Alex smirked. "you don't mind if I call ya that, right?"

"I…" he started.

"David, trust me. Don't care about it," John advised. He rolled his eyes, but agreed. "And, how I truly met them, I don't think you should tell anyone."

"Why not?" David asked with suspicion.

"Because, they came from a past that we don't have," John said. "I'll inform you of everything."

"Ah, here's proof. Also, I'm currently the President of the United States where I'm from. My name is Robert Harrison. I used to be a Commander, too," Robert said and took out his cell phone. David's jaw dropped at the sight of the simple technology.

"I think I'll need to know everything," David said.

"I'll talk to you. Alex, when does Agatha give birth?" Robert asked.

"Hmm. It is getting close. Okay. After she gives birth, I'll have you go to her," Alex nodded. "We need to get more breeders made. Something tells us that we are going to need an army."

"I can see that," Robert nodded.

"Yeah. I need to know quite a bit. Don't I?" David asked.

"Do you have a chair?" John asked.

"My afternoon is free. Start talking," he ordered.

"I'll give back-up support," Robert said. A drone walked over with a chair, and another simply removed the camouflage to help prepare another place for John to sit. David's jaw dropped. "Yeah. We'll start from the beginning."

With them taking turns informing the older man of how everything started, Alex was quick to get back to Agatha. When he walked into her room, he let her tendrils of hair gently coil around his limbs in their welcoming embrace. He only sighed with complete relief and moved to rest next to her.

"He seemed rather shocked," Agatha chuckled. Alex only laughed softly and kissed her.

"I'm going to let Robert be with you next. I have a pretty good feeling that we will need to amass a shitload of drones. And, we need to get started on it now," he said.

"What's this?" Garrus asked and looked over at them.

"Instinct never failed me. Something tells me that, before we meet your Council, I need to make sure that a legion of drones is ready for instant dispersal. So, I'm going to send out a nice little message to the family," Alex smirked and focused in on the link. _:Hey. All of you. Start fucking. We need drones. And I mean we NEED drones. Get to work!:_

 _:Will do!:_ Dionysus said. _:Oh. What do we do with the excess drones?:_

 _:Report to Hypnos. He'll need the help building spaceships.:_ Alex ordered. The order was easily accepted. Garrus was escorted out the moment Agatha started to show signs of birthing pains. These drones would grace the outside of the ship. As well as the walls and ceilings. But, he knew a few would need to see how a warp drive treated them. Hypnos was definitely going to be testing that and quite possibly work on a few improvements to their DNA. They had to be ready for anything. This would ensure it.


	8. Chapter 8

It took three hours to fully explain everything to David Anderson. As a member of the Council, he would know how to explain everything to them in a careful way. He also fully agreed to the idea of finding them on a hostile planet. It almost seemed like a too perfect plot. When Alex came back after being with Agatha to get some drones made, he was quickly caught up to speed. Robert was called away by Osiris to help work out new plans of action when it came to getting the drones up into space. As much as Robert was told he'd be with Agatha, he agreed that more drones were needed first.

"What planet do we plan to 'find' them on?" David asked.

"Nepheron sounds like fun," Alex said. "We have the coordinates of where it is. Now we just have to get there. Any ideas?"

"Shepard," David started. The Commander rose up a hand.

"You keep the Council off my back, and I'll do it," he agreed.

"I'll do what I can," David nodded. "I'm not really sure about how many of you are out there. I would have thought there would be a lot more."

"True," Alex agreed. Now Shepard looked at him for an explanation. "I low-balled the numbers to keep you all from panicking. Times that 10k number by another ten. Then, after this fuck-fest is done, you can times that by three. Maybe four."

"You mean…almost half a million drones are going to be made…?" David started with complete shock. "And…how long does this happen?"

"Within a week," Alex grinned widely. "I want an army. I will have my army. And this army will fuck up anything that tries to get in my way. Now, I see you two as allies. You both appear to respect me. I like that. And, I know that I'm going to need supplies to make some spaceships. You help me out, and I'll protect whoever needs protecting. You need my kids to go in and keep the peace? I don't mind being the outsourced cop. Hell, I do the same shit back on my Earth."

"The Milky Way galaxy is a very big place," David said with a touch of amusement.

"Just means more drones will need to be made," Alex shrugged.

"Won't they rebel, if there are too many?" John asked.

"Nope! These drones are locked to the hive mind. If anyone pisses me or Agatha off, I cut the cord on them. It kills them instantly. And, this goes to any that take Agatha's blood, too. It was tested with someone we didn't like. They melted down into a messy pile of…something," Alex seemed to shrug. John was simply in shock at this. He was going to be thinking rather hard on a few things.

"And where is Agatha?" David asked.

"Resting. I can have her meet you in a few hours. If you're free, of course," Alex nodded.

"I'll ensure that my schedule is clear. I have a meeting to go to soon, but I'll be free after that. I'll contact Shepard when that time comes," David nodded back and closed the connection. John now looked at Alex with a small sigh.

"Let's see how far along they got to fixing the ship. Oh, Joker sent down the two transport ships. I think one of your main guys is coming up now?" John asked while still in thought.

"What?" Alex frowned and focused in on the link. _:Which one of you is coming up?:_

 _:I am. With Eir, of course. My drones are finishing up what they can.:_ Hypnos said calmly.

 _:And you didn't ask me for permission to arrive?:_ Alex asked warily.

 _:I told him to join us.:_ Agatha cut in. That shut Alex up rather neatly. _:I feel that his intellect is needed here now. So don't shit all over our parade just yet.:_

 _:Bitch!:_ He growled, as others laughed.

 _:And, if you misbehave, he said he's bringing me a gift.:_ She said a touch wickedly. Now he gave an uneasy sensation in the link. _:You can thank Eros, too.:_

 _:Explain.:_ Alex growled to Eros.

 _:Mother kept asking us about new outfits for you. Hypnos was able to craft one. No, it's not a bikini. It can come close to it, but it's more dress-like. And, yes, a bit exposing for her position.:_ The King explained calmly. Alex seemed to grumble.

 _:How large is Mother's room?:_ Hypnos asked.

 _:Not very big. Why?:_ Alex asked warily.

 _:Her pet wanted to come with us. It was rather…demanding.:_ Hypnos sighed.

 _:Oh, fuck that!:_ Alex seemed to groan. _:How was it demanding?:_

 _:It hadn't seen Mother in a few days. It began to grow rather violent. Sedations were barely keeping it calm. So, I asked if it wanted to see Mother. It sat down and looked…happy.:_ Hypnos chuckled. Alex was not happy about this and thought hard. _Agatha's pet was gaining feelings. Of course, it meant she would be even further protected. But, it was going to be hard to have it sit at home all alone. It was going to become a new traveling companion._ He wasn't happy at all.

 _:Do we have food for it?:_ Alex finally had to ask.

 _:Yes. I have food items. It doesn't eat that much, thankfully. But, I did make some dried snack treats for it. It will behave, if it knows you are holding one.:_ Hypnos said calmly.

 _:Pain in my fucking ass, I swear!:_ Alex growled.

 _:We did make a small saddle…:_ Hypnos now started out. At this, Alex found himself amused. _:It was able to carry around various drones. I'm sure it would be pleased to carry around Mother.:_

 _:Okay. A new form of escort. Fine. But, the others here are going to shit their pants.:_ Alex muttered out. At the small bits of agreeable laughter heard, he knew the drones were locating a larger room for Agatha now.

 _:Is Mr. Fluffster coming to see me?!:_ Agatha asked with a form of childish delight. Alex cringed and wanted to slap something now. Hermes was dying with laughter. Dionysus was in tears with Athena. _:Oh, you know that's not the name we agreed on! I just say it to make you blush.:_

 _:I don't blush.:_ Alex seemed to growl out. He found himself going back to Agatha's side and glaring at her grinning face. Robin was holding her from her pregnancy once again. "The things' name is Spike. Because, I will put a spike right through it, if it pisses me off."

"Yes, yes. I know," she sighed. "Spike will be here soon."

"Hypnos said it insisted to come here to be with you. It's why we are moving your room to something bigger. I'd say the Cargo Bay, but we don't know how it will react," Alex sighed. "We'll just have to figure it out."

"At least it won't need a playground," she chuckled.

"Hera, you're killing me. You know that?" Alex seemed to plead at her.

"Not my fault I was made from your DNA strands," she shrugged. "And, just remember this. You were the one that forced me to your side. I wanted none of it."

"And do you regret it?" he asked when he appeared at her side now to pull her close.

"If I did, I wouldn't be here," she smiled and let him kiss her.

"I love you, Hera," he muttered and took her from Robin to hold her.

"Oh, Zeus. You know I love you right back," she smiled and kissed him passionately. "So, should we build a small house for Spike?"

"Fucking…cock-blocking pet…" he growled out to make her laugh softly.

"Even you were impressed when Spike leapt out and slaughtered someone that was ready to try and kill me," she chuckled. He just shook his head. At the sight of the drones bringing in her furniture, they both realized it was what she had in the main base back on their Earth. "Am I officially moving in?"

"It looks like it," Alex muttered. The Italian-style furniture was quickly in place, and even more was brought in. Then he saw the treasures brought in to set up. "It looks like you are moving in now."

"Mother!" Hypnos said in his intensely deepened tone when he saw her. Eir was next to walk in and embrace her. "We had to see you when we walked in. Ah, you need to come with us to the main docking bay. Your pet…well..."

"We get it. Hera, just try to calm it down. You're pregnant. It should know by now that it has to be in 'nice' mode. Hopefully," Alex grunted and carried her. "If not, I'll smack it with something worse than a rolled up newspaper. It's called my clawed hand up its ass."

"Here. It seems to like dried, clotted cow's blood as a treat. Once it smells them, it tends to behave really quickly," Hypnos said and handed her a couple of the dark red lumps. She nodded and let Alex carry her to the small transport ship.

"Why can't we open this ship?" Garrus asked.

"You'll see why. Stand back," Hermanubis warned. The drones were quick to ensure no one would be able to get too close. When the hatch slowly opened, a seething hiss was heard.

"Alex, put me down please. I need to show that I'm ready for it," Agatha said with a small smile. John was now standing with Wrex behind a wall of drones. Tali was still on the newly recruited krogan vessel and being introduced to various drones to be told what to help fix. Liara was far too curious as to what was going to happen now, and she settled to watch alongside John. Another female showed up to watch, and she was very perplexed about this.

"What's going on?" she asked in a small whisper. John glanced over at the brunette and chuckled. "I saw bits and pieces, but…"

"Not sure. But, I'm thinking something along the lines of not good for the enemy," John mused.

"Come on!" Agatha crooned and held out the small treat. A sharp roar was given, as the Hunter launched out of the ship. John's jaw dropped. Time seemed to stand still at the red-skinned horror that now graced his ship. But, at the scent of the small treat, and of Agatha, it suddenly stopped and sat down in an obedient way. "There you go! Such a good little monster, aren't you?"

It let out a long, sticky tongue to take up the treat before pressing its eyeless face into her arms. She continued to croon and pet it like a giant, mutated dog. The other treat was given, and it shivered with a form of delight at the feel of her tentacled hair smoothing over the showing muscles. It always liked this form of praise. It showed that she missed it, too.

"Yeah. Spike missed you," Alex sighed. "Let's go. And, as for you. Remember the rule."

The Hunter just tilted its head at him from the known warning. _Don't piss off the strong male._ It got up to lope behind him on all fours. Agatha was carefully scooped up by Nick to be carried. When John started to walk down, Spike snarled out with rage. At this, Agatha clucked her tongue. That meant a bad manner, and it backed off in an apologetic way. Hypnos had made sure to train this particular Hunter personally. It was the swiftest out of all the Hunters found, and it was clearly one of the most lethal. As well as the most intelligent. It proved this by learning how to fetch things within minutes.

"What is that?!" John finally managed to ask.

"Hypnos…I warned him…" Robert sighed and shook his head. "That, my friend, is a Hunter. And Agatha's personal pet. We have about ten of them fully trained. You want a real force to be reckoned with? We can tag a few of the larger ones and let them loose. But, they attack both friend and foe. However, it would be maintained, since we eat them and kill them all the time."

"There is a small concern," Hypnos said when he walked over with Thanatos and Lelantos. "Now that a Hunter is here, we need to monitor your crew. We don't know if you can get infected by it simply being here. The only cure is our Mother's blood. I have gone ahead and spoken with Mordin. He's…an interesting fellow. Of course, I did refuse to let him take a syringe of my blood. I told him that, as a virus, I may be hazardous to his health."

"I wonder if we can put the Hunters on their own planet," Thanatos mused. Lelantos now looked at him with a form of unholy joy at the idea. "They can deal with Hunters and threshers. Why not?"

"We can bring that up to Alex," Robert mused. "We'll need to get some of the Hunter nest samples, though. I'm not too sure as to what else we can do about it."

"I'll get the samples," Lelantos grinned.

"I'm sure we can track down a couple other planets we can use," John nodded.

"Alert! Incoming transmission!" EDI said over the ship speakers.

"Let me handle this. You all hide," John said. The drones quickly cloaked, and Robert was escorted away with the Kings. As John now handled a business-as-usual type of call, Robert was led to where Agatha was. Garrus was also there and in a completely speechless state.

"You kill these for practice?" the turian asked Lelantos.

"Yes, we do. And the ones we kill are five times the size of this one," the King grinned. Then he pointed to the newly mounted head being locked down on a wall. The mouth on it could have easily fit over Spike's head and ripped it off. "That's the biggest one we got so far. We'll replace it with another when one spawns out. It's what they do."

"May the spirits protect me…" he muttered at the size of the severed head.

"They really aren't that bad. The look worse than they bite," Alex said. Spike was already in a happy, hunched up position next to Agatha's bed to continue getting its loving tentacle caresses. It was also calmly taking in all the new scents. It was silently marking new territory.

"You know your name is Mr. Fluffster, don't you?" Agatha crooned to it gently when Alex's back was turned. At the happy yawn and floor stretch it gave, Alex glanced at her from his shoulder.

"Fuck you," he growled. Agatha was simply beaming now. "Its name is Spike."

At the small snort given back, Agatha started laughing. Alex rolled his eyes and looked over at the sight of Robert walking in with John. Drones appeared with chairs for them, and a small table with meals were quickly set up.

"Rather efficient," John said and sat down. He tried hard not to glance at Agatha's swelling belly, but it was hard not to. "How many of these drones are being shipped out?"

"The moment we lock down a planet," Robert said and got served a slice of Hunter heart. Spike gave a small growl, but a treat quickly pacified it. At that, he muttered, "Thank you, Hypnos."

"Anytime," the King chuckled and walked over. Right behind him was a slender creature with reddish coloring. Apparently male, his face was flat and one of the horns on top of his head was missing. The horns would have been a pincer-like effect, if intact. His eyes were slanted, but wide with a form of awe at the sight of the Hunter.

"Cellular structure is very unique. Classified breed? No. Unknown breed! Yes!" he said and moved to take a closer look. He suddenly backed away at the sudden mouth snapping at him. "Docile? Easy to work with? Hmm…"

"Mordin, this is what they call a Hunter. They have a lot more where they come from. Also, this is the tamest one. I think. Right?" John asked.

"Correct," Robert nodded. "We don't know if it will infect you."

"And, you? New species? Hybrid? Possible cell extraction?" he now asked Agatha. At the sight of her tendrils suddenly becoming lethal spikes, he quickly backed down.

"Touch my mate, and I'll gut you open," Alex snarled out and stood in front of her.

"My name is Agatha. My cells were stolen from me and raped. Yes. You heard me right. They tried to make another version of me, and they fucked it," she said with a heavy frown. Spike now gave a low, warning growl, as it began to rise up. At this, Agatha looked at it calmly. "It's okay. Rest."

After it settled back down, Mordin could only clear his throat. Hypnos walked over calmly and said, "Don't worry. We can get you another one. We can let you test a few things on some drones, too. We just can't let you touch Mother, my Emperor or other specific ones. We also have a couple scientists that are eager to meet with you, too, to share knowledge."

"Ah! Fellow comrades in the art of cellular dissection, reassembly and genetic enhancement! Cannot wait to see them! It will be fruitful!" Mordin agreed.

"What of that egg, Mordin? What do you think?" John asked.

"Hmm. Salarian egg is definite. Female. Parents unknown. Will need to be sent to home world quickly. Cannot bond properly here. Need to send back now," he nodded.

"Give me the coordinates, and I'll have it sent back," Hypnos nodded. With the two of them walking off to ensure the egg would be sent to a good home, Alex was just relieved that he wouldn't have to care for an alien baby _. Human babies are the most I'll work with, as long as Agatha's blood was in them._ Sighing a bit, he moved to recline next to his mate in the bed. Robert was able to finish his meal and look at John directly.

"Where were these Reapers last seen?" he asked.

"They hit and run. We had a few Collector attacks, but we need to catch one in the act. It's the only way to figure this out. We're running out of ideas," John admitted.

"Send some drones out to the colonies," Agatha said lightly. "If there are any troublemakers, they can take them over. Or, we have some drones already with disguises. Dress them up as newcomers, and let them settle in. We can keep tabs on them that way."

"I'd rather them settle in with no casualties. We get enough, as it is," John said. Alex simply nodded and sent the word out. "Anyways, the call I got was from the Citadel. David was forced to tell them about you. So…they want to meet you."

"If they confine us, they're all dead," Alex warned.

"We know. I don't want them to meet you," John admitted.

"I won't let them cage her," Garrus muttered from where he was standing. "I have pretty good standing with the Primarch. He does ask me for some advice here and there. And, when he sees the fighting prowess you all have, he will be inclined to agree with me."

"Let's hope you're right," Robert said. "Because, if anything pisses off Alex, it's as good as dead. And this will include anyone that tries to insult him."

"Or Agatha," Alex grounded out. "Anyways, you all need to leave. Agatha's getting ready to give birth soon. Spike. Guard the door."

"Over here," Nick said to direct where the door was. The Hunter snarled and got up into an attack stance. That was John's queue to leave. Garrus had to leave, too, for now. Any that didn't have Agatha's blood in their system was at risk of getting attacked.

"I'd like to talk to her again when I get the chance," Garrus said.

"We'll arrange it," Alex nodded. The turian had a very long thought with himself. He made a pretty big decision. He'd have to talk about it the moment he was able to talk to Agatha again. As much as he would prefer it to be a private conversation, he knew it wouldn't happen. _It would likely have to wait until they arrived at the Citadel._ He'd check on the guns until then.


	9. Chapter 9

The salarian egg was transported quickly and placed in a small stasis. Tali was able to hand the ship to Hypnos after it was fully fixed up just enough to be moving without being a full on deathtrap. She was quite shocked at seeing the pet Hunter, but she knew the trip to the Citadel was too important to ignore. Joker put in the coordinates for the Citadel once everyone was accounted for. Everyone was carefully strapped down, and the Normandy warped into overdrive for the jump. Hypnos was already making careful calculations as to what he was going to need for his own ships.

When the Normandy appeared next to the Citadel, Agatha was able to look out a window. Of course, she was impressed by the sheer size and splendor of what she saw. At the same time, she was a touch bored with it. _It looked too…peaceful._

"Hera?" Alex asked.

"Just…thinking. This place looks nice, but…eh. When do I see some real action?" she muttered.

"Heh. I should have you meet with C-Sec security. Actually, you will," Garrus said from where he sat nearby. "Standard procedure with new species."

"If they touch me, or point a gun at me, they're dead," Agatha said with a small shrug.

"Well, it was fun having them around while it lasted," Garrus seemed to snicker. Alex narrowed his eyes at that. He did have a couple drones hanging out outside the ship. They tested to see if a warp jump would keep them unharmed. Other than the drones having tingly sensations and a touch of hair loss, they survived it just fine. When the ship was scanned, the drones were completely missed. Viral infiltration was eminent. When Agatha saw how the Citadel's arms opened up to allow the Normandy to dock, she just sighed and shook her head.

"Why is everything designed after calamari?!" she had to ask out loud. Alex cracked a grin and squeezed her to him. Robert glanced over and found himself laughing.

"So, Garrus," Robert managed to ask.

"Hmm?" the turian glanced over.

"I am going to want to have a talk with you. I'm sure you're aware. Right?" he asked.

"I figured as much. We can chat after the meeting with the Council. Oh, what's going to happen with the pet monster? I doubt it will be readily received," Garrus warned.

"We are saddling it up, as we speak. Don't worry. It can defend itself," Alex grinned. He pressed a kiss to Agatha's mouth and watched the ship slowly descend into the docking bay. The drones outside the ship already leapt off from the internal gravity of the station and moved out to explore. Their arrival was supposed to be top-secret, but such information always leaked out. Many were there to see this new species that was arriving. So, with this made known from the drones, it was time to doll up the Empress to show who she was.

"It's all right, my Empress," Nick chuckled and fitted the rather slender gown on her. It was a silvery-white in color, but had gold threading in the form of Grecian patterns along the bottom hemming. It was backless, crossed up and over her chest, as though to simply rest there, but it was taught enough to keep from moving too much to avoid full exposure. It clasped together at the base of her neck, and the lower part of the dress had slits to reveal her all too perfect legs as she walked in her matching heels.

On her head graced a gold-dipped wreathe of olive leaves much like the ancient goddesses wore in the same Grecian lore. A diamond and gold necklace graced her throat, and the usual gold bangles were next to go on her arms. Rings were set on her fingers, earrings were carefully adorned on her next, and a glittery garter belt now graced her leg.

"I'm not changing clothes," Alex grunted. "No need."

"If you say so," Robert chuckled. He was wearing his gold suit. Spike was now positioned with the riding saddle, and it even helped Agatha up to let her sit in a side-saddle way. It moved around a bit to make sure she was secure before lumbering forward. Her tentacled hair further secured her down carefully. Most of her hair was reverted to be the usual, straight hair that many would be used to seeing for humans. But even Alex knew she was a touch excited.

"Easy," Alex muttered and rested a hand on her leg. She only nodded. John walked out first with Garrus, Liara, Wrex and Tali. A few other more notable crew members walked out next. When several of the Citadel reporters waited anxiously, it was the Kings and Queens that came out first to smile and wave. Then the drones spilled out to form a small barricade when Agatha finally appeared on the back of the large Hunter. Alex calmly walked next to her, and Robert was on the other to nod to the crowd.

"By the Goddess…" an asari whispered at the sight of the Hunter. Then more whispers were given out from Agatha's staggering beauty.

"What are they?!" a turian woman whispered out. More astonished whispers were given, but they soon were pushed aside by several men wearing armored suits. They also had guns drawn.

"Put those guns down!" John ordered quickly. "They are allies!"

"We don't know that!" a turian soldier growled out.

"Stop! Right now!" David said when he ran over to them to stand in front of them all. "I did not authorize C-Sec intervention! This will only make things worse!"

"You would dare to raise your weapons at me? An Empress of my people? And to my mate, and my stud male? Oh, what a warm welcome, indeed…" Agatha glared. Spike hissed and tensed up, but she patted its large shoulder. That signaled to turn around. "Come. We'll go back onto the ship."

"Agatha," Robert started, but she rose up her hand.

"We are clearly not wanted here. So, we shall leave," she said regally.

"You can't leave!" an asari shouted. While Agatha's back was turned to them all, Alex saw her smirk. _The citizens would force them to stay._ She knew this.

"Stand down!" David ordered C-Sec agents again.

"Why is he out here?! He's a Council member!" a soldier said with disbelief. "Get behind us!"

"They are not here to attack us. There are here to help us battle the Reapers," David said in a calm, stern tone. At this said, Agatha gave a small, secret command to Spike. It turned around, lumbered over to the man and bumped its head on his hand for a small pet. As repulsed as David was, he gave a small, careful pat to the top of the hairless skull.

 _:Good idea.:_ Alex snickered softly in the link.

"You see? They are allies," David said again. The drones moved to carefully surround their Empress now to escort her. Her personal escort of drones were already moving around her to protect her. Alex ignored the paparazzi around them, as he followed the main man out. David led the group right up into the main Citadel building. There were still C-Sec guards all over the place, but it was only to save face to the citizens there.

"Up here," John muttered out and led them up to where the Council was. Agatha easily balanced herself on Spike's back, and it hissed at the unknown scents around it. When it was lightly ordered to stop, Agatha moved off the saddle and kept a calming hand on the Hunter's back. They thought they were looking at more humans. The turian in charge of his race clearly showed disgruntled mistrust. It was highly obvious that he trusted Spike more than who was before him. He seemed to go off of looks.

"Greetings! We are the Council of the Alliance," the older asari woman started.

"Let's just cut to the chase," Agatha said bluntly. Her ethereal tone now had them by surprise. "You had guns pulled on me. I don't like that. I don't care if it's standard procedure…"

"Agatha," Alex said gently and moved to hug her. "Hush now."

"You should let her speak," the turian on the podium smirked.

"No. Because, if I did, this entire place would become a blood-bath," Alex growled in warning. The salarian representing his people seemed to stammer. "I am keeping her from killing _everyone_ here."

"Then why did we grant an audience with you?!" the turian asked with outrage.

"Because you're an asshole, and you got cocky," Alex said with a snort. That got him stammering. David wanted to intervene, but John quickly shook his head. "And I don't fucking care what you think. You want help killing the Reapers? Fine. Do I care about your Spectre bullshit? No. Take it and shove it up your asses. Is this a good way to bring about a first meeting? Of course not. But, you all pointed guns at my family when we came here in good faith to help you. As far as I'm concerned, you're all full of shit. I will have my family kill the Reapers my way. Bye."

"And, how do you intend to do that?" the salarian had to ask. Then he seemed to cower at the sight of Agatha's hair becoming the mass of lethal tendrils they were. Even David's jaw was dropped with complete surprise at this.

"You thought I was human. Didn't you?" she smirked at them all. "My voice didn't give it away? A shame. Really. Fucking pathetic. I'm leaving."

"Wait!" the asari woman said. "Please! We got off on a bad start!"

"Oh, you know we did!" Agatha glared. Spike hissed again, but it remained still. If she removed her hand from its back, it was ready to launch. "And, call off your guard dogs before I go ahead and let mine loose. Now."

She knew there were C-Sec weapons being drawn to protect the Council. The asari woman was already punching in codes. At this, the turian scowled and said, "What are you doing?!"

"Saving our lives," she muttered. "They are not humans. They can help us. I just…it's a feeling I have. Yes, it's unethical. But, we _need_ new allies."

"She is correct. But, at the same time, we don't know about this species," the salarian frowned. "And they are already coming off as hostile. And we just found out about them! What are we to do? I mean, why are they acting like this to us?"

"Because, we are doing that little thing called defending ourselves," Alex said. "We came here to tell you about us. To educate you on what we can and can't do. The moment we stepped off that ship, we had guns in our faces. If all you're going to do is wave insults and guns at us, then why bother coming here to begin with? You asked us to be here. We came here freely. What the fuck was that welcoming committee out there for?! Do you really want us here? And, Commander Shepard, do not tell me to tone it down. It's not gonna happen."

"I'm just jealous, because you're saying things that I want to say," John muttered out in a very low tone. Alex bit back his grin, and John said in a louder voice, "He is right, you know. I brought them here, because they _can_ help us win this war. I gave them a chance."

"Agatha, put your hair down," Robert whispered to her. At her small frown, he made a rude hand gesture at Alex to make her smile. Alex rolled his eyes, but he knew why it was done.

"And, how do we know exactly how deadly they are?" the turian started again. Then he paused at the sight of four drones suddenly uncloaking around them. And they were behind the Council members.

"Say hello to my kids. They are not detected by any kind of radar or heat signatures. They are invisible to everything except me, and my mate here. What else do you want to know?" Alex asked and crossed his arms over his chest. The three Councilors were shocked beyond belief.

"How would we list you as a new race?" the asari woman asked.

"Now…that is a good question. In reality, we are viruses. An infection. But, we don't really infect anymore. So…you can call us…eh…Protoforms."

"Odd," the turian frowned. "But…what the…?!"

He suddenly found himself lifted with Agatha's hair. Alex barked out laughter at this. When he was set back down, Agatha said, "You were distracted. Be glad I only lifted you in the air. I could have impaled you. And, while you all were working, I let my hair search around for a floor weakness. I found one. I also found the main power line running through this floor. I now have control over the lighting in the room. And the outside areas. See?"

The lights suddenly dimmed down. Then the outside lighting suddenly turned to nightfall. The three Council representatives were in shock. They didn't know what to say. A few seconds later, she had everything reverting back to normal. And, the three of them knew that they now had a mound of paperwork to file. Agatha crossed her arms under her overly-ample chest and watched them all. She just proved how deadly she really was. _She could gain control of the station at any given time. With just her hair._ The shock was almost too much to take in.

"I…apologize for my rashness…" the turian started. Agatha simply laughed and shook her head.

"We can get to work on setting up some of our drones to work with your C-Sec forces. Considering that C-Sec is like another federal defense system here," Alex muttered. Garrus nodded slightly from where he was standing. Agatha now moved to sit on Spike's saddle again.

"Where are you going?" the salarian asked.

"To find a place to stay for now," she said. "Robert is my stud. He is also a rather powerful figurehead where we come from. In a sense. He will handle all the usual details. Osiris is my son with him, and he will also assist."

"I will send room information to Commander Shepard," the asari woman said. Agatha nodded and turned with Spike to start going down the stairs. John nodded and could only sigh. His crew had to stay with him, but he was sure everything would be fine. Or so he hoped.

On the way down the stairs, there was a mob of civilians waiting to talk to her. At the sight of various drones suddenly appearing to make a path, they were all in complete shock. And there was a bit of panic. Alex could only grumble that they were no better than the humans on his planet. _They were too easy to stir up. Much like a flock of chickens._

"Ignore them," Alex muttered and continued to walk alongside her.

"I'm trying," she muttered back and sighed.

"I know. You're an Empress. Royalty. And you were given a shit greeting. Trust me, I want to go back there and fuck them all up as much as you do. They pissed me off, too. But, we may have to kiss just a little more ass until we find a good place to hole up here. Then we can do whatever the hell we want and ignore the rules."

"Are you sure about that? I'd rather us just find our own planet and settle down. We need a new base of operations out here. It's important," she said softly.

"True. Okay. Hypnos is starting to slowly acquire the tech we need. And the drones are silently lifting information for us. We'll get our planet," he smiled and kissed her. "Don't worry. Leave that bit to me. Come on. Let's see what they have around here for fun."

"Sure. With more rules and regulations," she snorted. Spike seemed to whine and got the scratching it wanted. When a small crowd of people started to walk over, she gave a small nod to them.

"What are you?" a turian male asked.

"An Empress of my people," Agatha said regally. "And now I must retire."

"And what is that…um…that you are riding on?" an asari asked.

"My pet. It is well trained to serve me. Do be careful, though. If you get too close, it does bite," she chuckled. At the sight of Garrus walking over now with Wrex, she nodded to them both. Spike knew their scents now and seemed to be a touch neutral towards them.

"We found out where we get to stay," Wrex said. "Come on."

"Good. Robert's protected, since Osiris is with him. Let's see what this new room looks like," Alex mumbled and led Spike away with Agatha.

"Can you answer a few questions?" an asari reporter asked.

"No," Alex growled. When a drone appeared, he said, "Ask the drone. It will talk for me."

"Oh. Well…I was hoping to get some words with the female…" the asari pressed.

"You mean my wife? The EMPRESS of my brood? A form of royalty?! You would seek to treat her like another common thing? How dare you!" Alex seethed. Garrus and Wrex looked at each other and could only grumble out how idiotic some people were. Spike now turned to crouch dangerously low. It was ready to attack. "Spike. No. Back off."

At the command, it growled again, but it relaxed. Now Agatha looked over at the reporter and shook her head. "Until I am treated with due respect, I refuse to speak with anyone. Good day."

 _:Your mother is losing it!:_ Alex warned in the link.

 _:Eir just gave birth to some drones. We'll have more here soon. Same with Isis, right?:_ Hypnos asked. _:We need more support here. I'm trying to get as many drones made and brought as quickly as I can. We aren't on our Earth anymore.:_

 _:Don't worry. We'll get more drones.:_ Osiris promised. _:Isis is claiming a room for you right now.:_

 _:Good. I have to get your mother out of the crowds. And I have to do it fast. These fuckers don't understand that she's the real threat. I could be, too, but, if she's not happy…:_

 _:Room is claimed. Take the elevator on the left to the tenth floor. I have drones in there now ensuring it is safe enough.:_ Hypnos said calmly. As they moved into the building that would house them, they were stopped by more C-Sec guards. Agatha was starting to get highly irritated.

"We have a room. We're guests," Alex said to them. The two guards were unfazed.

"He's right. The Council knows of this," Garrus started. Wrex was only glaring at them.

"Sure. The two of you are. But, that thing can't come in here," one of the guards said about Spike. Then they both went into a state of shock at Agatha's hair coming to life. Garrus only groaned that two C-Sec members just signed a death warrant.

"I am getting tired of being disrespected!" she growled and launched her hair at them. The only thing that saved them was Alex shoving them both out of the way. Wrex was impressed at how fast Alex moved. He was actually quite entertained.

"Where's your boss? Now. I need to talk him. Her. It. I don't fucking care. But, this shit needs to stop NOW!" he snarled at them. "You know what? Fuck the room. We'll go back on the ship. We clearly aren't wanted here. We spoke with your Council. They wanted us to stay. No one else does."

"You spoke with…?!" a guard asked with further shock.

"Oh. You don't keep up with the news? Or were you sleeping on the job?" Alex growled out.

"Ah, I did say that the Council knew of them. I don't think either of you pay attention. Crap. Okay, let me send up a message," Garrus sighed and brought out a virtual arm console to send an alert to the main C-Sec man in charge. Agatha found herself intrigued by the arm console. Garrus noticed this, chuckled, and said, "I'll show you how it works later."

"Okay," Agatha smiled pleasantly. Hypnos was already getting a rundown of how it worked, thanks to John's memories.

"I just got a message…" the other guard managed to say when he came back to his senses. "We are to escort you to our main office. To clean this up."

"And thanks for the quick response," Garrus muttered under his breath.

"I'm not going," Agatha sniffed. "Have him come to us."

"That's impossible. He must be at his desk at all times for emergency situations," the guard explained. Agatha now looked at Alex with a hard frown. She was severely irritated by all of this. When they looked at Garrus, he only nodded in agreement with the guard.

"Fine. Lead us to him. And no funny shit! If it wasn't for me, you both would have been dismembered and plastered all over a fucking wall!" Alex warned. "Now move your asses!"

"I…" the first guard was going to argue, but, at the shifting of Agatha's hair, he caved and moved quickly down the hall. Garrus only smirked and figured it was the wisest choice the guard made so far.

"I'll stay and watch over the room," Wrex said. "I'm sure it needs supplies."

"That's fine. Thank you," Agatha smiled and nodded to him respectfully. He nodded back and moved off. Garrus was going to stick with them to ensure the meeting went well.

"Spike. Follow," Alex ordered. The Hunter turned and moved quickly. "Hmm. It's been some time, since it last ate a good meal. I'm sure it needs to eat soon."

"I have something," Nick said. Her entourage had never left her side. The drone took out a couple freeze-dried blood cubes to feed the Hunter. This would pacify it until they were done.

They were led to the lower parts of the Citadel building. There was already quite a bit of talk about Agatha now, and she cringed at how many were hoping she would take on various men into consideration for certain services. It quickly went quiet when Alex glared at the ones talking. He had superb hearing. Likely the best he's ever had from his days helping Agatha become whole. And, as usual, any he glared at were targeted. Any drones that needed a body would soon have one the moment the opportunity came around.

The small office they reached showed a turian sitting behind the desk. He glanced up and nodded to them both. "Hello. My name is Venari Pallin. It was not my intention for my operatives to treat you as such. I have spoken to the one in charge of the group that was to escort you to the Council. Such a thing will not happen again. You have my word."

"And what of these two? They said I couldn't have my pet in my apartment. It's fully trained to protect me. It will not attack any, unless I am under threat. Did they also go against your word?" Agatha asked carefully. Venari now looked over at the two shuffling guards. At the sight of Garrus there, he knew that she was talking the truth. Garrus even sent over a small vid he had recorded of the encounter. He was making sure the two guards were well known with their misconduct.

"They were acting in their best interest. But, I did not tell them to keep you from taking any others into your room for the stay. They acted out of line," he started.

"That thing can kill civilians!" the first guard suddenly said to defend himself.

"Has it killed anyone yet?" Alex asked. Now the guard swallowed and went quiet.

"Point for you," Venari nodded to Alex. "The two of you are now dismissed. Patrol the Wards for now. We don't want any drunken citizens to cause a problem."

"Yes, Sir," they both nodded and left. With them gone, the turian sighed and regarded the small group before him. He was trying to think of what to say.

"We were going to leave and head back to the ship. My mate is considered royalty, and she's being treated like shit. She's done with it. So am I. The Council can kiss my ass," Alex said.

"Wait," Venari said calmly. "Yes, I understand how you were treated. I saw it all through the cameras and vids. Yes, I am very distressed over it, because the Council wanted to see you. You were supposed to be given the royalty treatment, and it didn't happen. The problem is that it comes from one of my men in command. He has been trying to prove that he's better than me at doing my job. All I want is to protect the Council, keep order and peace on the Citadel, and keep C-Sec running smoothly. This one…is putting a real wrench in things."

"Okay. I can get that. I can have some of my boys go in and remove that wrench. Mainly, we take him over and, eh…force him to obey your rules. Gradually, of course," Alex smirked.

"How?" Venari asked.

"How much time do you have for us to talk?" Alex asked him. The turian now looked over his schedule. He cleared out a couple things and made a few calls. Then he nodded to show he was ready.

Another couple hours passed with the explanation of what Alex was and got to be where he is now. Venari was impressed, shocked and horrified all at once. The moment Alex was done talking, the turian was deep in thought. Then he looked at Garrus. "What are your thoughts?"

"Like you, I was uncertain. But, they are very trustworthy. They have not betrayed me, Commander Shepard or the rest of the crew. They are up front with everything. They have won my trust," Garrus nodded. Agatha gave a small smile and a nod to him.

"All right. I'll trust you. For now," Venari muttered out. "I'll tell you where the man is."

"Good. I'll have a drone sent over the moment the coast is clear," Alex nodded.

"I'm also going to have a few words with the agents. And a new rule. That you and Agatha are to be escorted neatly to wherever you need to go. I understand that you have drones, but this is to put on a face that the Council has you under protection for now. It will be respected. The people will understand this," the turian said. Agatha nodded to this, and Garrus was the one that escorted her out with the others. Before Alex left, he did turn to regard Venari one final time.

"Just remember this. Yeah. I'm deadly. But, it's my wife you have to worry about. She almost killed two of your men today. You can watch over me all you want. But, she's the one that changed the lighting in the Citadel," he said calmly. Now the turian looked at him with surprise. He didn't know this.

"Thanks for telling me…" he said a touch uneasily. Alex nodded with a small smirk and finally left. For some reason, Venari now felt very on edge. _A drone could easily be in my office right now._ And, if he knew there were actually four of them neatly hanging from the ceiling, he would have been very pissed off.


	10. Chapter 10

Agatha was finally taken to her room in the Citadel tower. And, she could only sigh with relief when she sat down and stretched herself out on a white couch to let Spike get fed a good meal. She couldn't tell what the texture was on the couch, or what covered over it, but it was soft and supported her easily. Before she could say anything, though, Osiris reached out to her in the link.

 _:Mother, Father whispered to me to have you keep from talking out too much. He wants to check the room for any form of bugging. Information gets out fast.:_ He advised.

 _:Ahh. I see. Thank you, Osiris. I will inform the others.:_ Agatha agreed. The word was quickly spread. _Who would be able to hack into a living virus?_ "Alex…"

"I know," he nodded and looked at Garrus. He rose up a hand to keep quiet, and he made the motion of writing on something. The turian was alarmed, but he understood. He brought up a touch pad wall console, and Alex shook his head. He didn't trust it. Nick brought over a pad of paper and a pen. Garrus was very surprised. Now Alex wrote, _'Words can spread here. We will talk of what we already know for information. Anything new, we must write out in this primitive fashion. I don't trust your computers just yet. Not until Hypnos can get something encrypted and virtually unhackable. Nothing against your technology.'_

"It's fine," Garrus nodded. "and I believe you did ask me a question before we got here. Ah, it was about the Shadow Broker, if I remember correctly?"

"Yep!" Alex nodded. He appreciated how Garrus made it seem like they were continuing a conversation. He liked that form of tactical thinking. "Tell me about him."

"Not much to say. We don't know what he, she, it, or they are. Just a necessary evil to get information at a price. The usual stuff," Garrus shrugged. Wrex was shown the small note. Even he agreed to go with the small talk. _I'm not gonna help spill any secrets!_

"If we need information, the Shadow Broker is who we go to," Wrex said from where he was sitting. "He's a necessary evil. I know there is an agent out here that does all that for him. He'll sell information to the highest bidder. A very powerful placeholder, to be sure."

"Hmm…" Agatha mused aloud. _:My children, please look into this 'Shadow Broker' and get back to me. I want to know everything about this anomaly.:_

 _:Gladly, Mother.:_ Lelantos snickered.

"I am getting bored, though," she sighed. "Any forms of entertainment here?"

"That depends on what you're interested in," Garrus chuckled. "There are bars, gambling stations, social club events…"

"I could go for a drink," she grinned.

"We can't get drunk," Alex snorted.

"I don't care. It would be a way to meet the locals," she mused. Then she added another thought to the link. _:Fuck some of them up, too…:_

 _:I'm in!:_ Thanatos said quickly.

 _:Really, Mother?:_ Hypnos chuckled darkly.

 _:Well, if I can't be comfortable in my own room, then why the fuck not?:_ She retorted.

 _:Wait ten minutes.:_ Osiris advised. _:We just finished with the Council. Father really wants to see you to make sure the room is secure.:_

Agatha sighed and watched Alex walk over to sit by her on the couch she was stretched out on. He moved to let her rest her head in his lap. He kept a hand in her hair to keep her calm. Then she had a thought. _:Oh! See what spare diamonds I have to give to Tali. She did ask to have a few. I can spare them. I think it would be a rather nice thing to do.:_

 _:You know, we could set up a few jewelry outlets here.:_ Hypnos chimed out. _:Since we are a 'new' species, I know that not many even see the type of jewelry we have. It would be a nice form of trade and currency. We can even sell various delicacies from our planet. We'll need to see about getting some form of thresher meat, though. I am curious about that!:_

 _:I want to hunt one.:_ Lelantos growled.

 _:You and me both!:_ Hermanubis laughed. _:They appear to be giant fuckers with two appendages coming out like spider forelimbs. They spit out rocks in defense like bullets. This is what we uncovered from memories and informational computer data. I'd like to cut the head off one and mount it on a wall. It would make a very nice trophy.:_

 _:Ooh! We should do that to every building we claim! It would definitely make others think twice on trying to rob us! And, I have to wonder if we can tame one to work for us…:_ Lelantos said with a giddy form of joy. That got laughter and agreement set up. _:Hypnos! You able to see which buildings are available to be purchased or rented?:_

 _:I could, but, first, we need a form of trade. We have nothing right now.:_ Hypnos sighed.

 _:Correction.:_ Osiris chuckled. _:The Council agreed to give us proper funding. A starter account, so to speak. I am going to speak with them on setting up new forms of trade. We did bring some of Mother's treasures with us. No, we are not going to trade those, but we gave examples of what we could provide. Yes, they are interested. Extremely interested. Oh, Mother, there was a solitary diamond necklace you have that you hardly wear. A good two karats in size. The asari Councilor is willing to pay for it. She's quite taken with it.:_

 _:That's fine. Set up an offer for her.:_ Agatha said with a small laugh.

 _:No. Not that one. I remember that one. I gave that to your Mother as a gift. Find another necklace of similar size and markings.:_ Alex warned. _:It's the one with the blue shading, right?:_

 _:Nope! This one is basic white. We would never give over any of your personal gifts.:_ Osiris said.

 _:Oh. Fuck it, then. Make them an offer.:_ Alex mentally shrugged. He squeezed his mate when she snuggled into him affectionately.

 _:I put that gem in one of her circlets.:_ Hypnos said.

 _:You did? Hmm. Okay. I want her wearing most of her best stuff when we go out. It gives me a reason to fuck up someone, if they get too close.:_ Alex snickered. At this order given, the drones were quick to arrive with her treasures to doll her up a little more. Garrus could only clear his throat. _She was simply too perfect, and the gems clearly brought that fact out even more._

 _:The Council was a touch upset when you told them not to offer any form of Spectre status to you. It's s a very high position. We don't have to go through their rules to get shit done. Of course, we would have to prove our worth. To me, it's rather pointless. Just social standing, if you want my honest opinion. But, becoming a Spectre does make us able to not care about the rules. We just get the job done.:_ Osiris was able to explain.

 _:Well, that's nice, but we still need our planet. Lock down Nepheron. Build what we need to on it. We agreed to do this first. Hypnos, you have a personal challenge to get this accomplished within one week. Any others will need to help him, but that's if he asks for help. It's not that easy to build a city overnight. We may have the drones to do it, but supplies are always a major factor.:_ Agatha said in a rather orderly way. Agreements were already done, but Hypnos had a step up on that already. Eir was able to birth her drones from him. That was at least a hundred workers in the waiting. All they had to do was hatch, and Hypnos was already setting a course for the planet they wanted.

He was even able to perfect a long-range scanner system that the ship already had. He was now able to scan where life forms were to ensure they could build a small city without being detected. The krogan never knew what kind of ship they had. It was a research vessel for exploration, and Hypnos was able to repair and improve much of the field scopes. Tali was able to point this out, and, in thanks, she would be rewarded with a few more diamonds. He was also going to send what he created to the Council directly to let them disperse the new tech created to everyone else. He was already proving to the Council that their new race was trustworthy to their allies.

He even made mental notes about the Normandy's engine. It was a prototype tech model. He was able to fully break it down and start reconstructing another engine for himself. Of course, this engine would be kept secret. At least until he knew he was given clearance to try and make an engine. Then he could simply let a month go by and feed them the bits and pieces of notes he already had on hand. His intelligence had been rapidly evolving to keep up with all the new tech around him. He could easily be up to par with the Alliance's top scientists. Possibly even surpass them.

"Hypnos?" Eir frowned from where she stood in the main cockpit entrance.

"Eir? Is something wrong?" he asked and moved to her side.

"I never see you anymore," she sighed and leaned into his body.

"I know. All this new technology! It's amazing! But, you are right. I have been lacking to you. Hmm. Ah! Come. You can help me scan in the new planet we will be claiming for ourselves," he smiled. She beamed at that and let him lead her to where he was gathering all of the information the hive mind needed. As much as he could let her breeding stud be with her, they needed more drones. He had his current drones constantly working nonstop on new projects, cellular cultures and other things that had to get done. He knew the ship would be maintained even if he needed to rest with his mate.

On the Citadel, a list of places to visit was soon gleaned. Robert was able to join up with Agatha in her room, and he already pointed out where three bugging devices were. They were cleverly implanted in a lighting fixture, under a floor tile, and inside a door handle. They were now carefully extracted in a noiseless way, and the drones would be quick to ensure that no more were placed in their Empress's personal chambers. John was simply in shock that Robert found them.

"I should have you check the Normandy," he sighed. Robert easily agreed to that. "What do you plan to do with those communication units? Or…did you already find places for them?"

"We found other places of vast interest to put them. Like certain bathrooms of various bars, pubs and places of recreation…" Alex grinned wickedly. John ran a hand over his face and laughed.

"We also had one installed inside the bowl of one of the most used toilets on the Citadel…" Nick was able to add in. Now Garrus had to cough to cover his sudden bark of laughter.

"Well, if they want to listen to shit, now they can. In a fresh way," Agatha chuckled. That got Wrex laughing with complete amusement. "So, where are we going?"

"I hope to a notable place," Garrus sighed. They managed to walk out to the main platform of the Citadel where various places to travel were offered at a kiosk. At the sight of an asari messenger walking over to them, Agatha's entourage was quick to surround her. Even Spike growled in warning from the unknown scent. John was surprised, though. He recognized the red and yellow uniform. It was a touch revealing from the nature of the place he remembered. The asari stopped and bowed respectfully.

"I give you greetings! This is something we usually do not do, but this request is a form of invitation by the Consort. She is a very recognized figurehead here, and she would like to speak with you. Ah, the Empress, that is," the messenger said in a slightly timid way.

"Hmm…" Agatha thought aloud. "No, thank you. I will not meet with her."

"What?!" the messenger asked with surprise. "I just…this is unheard of! Many make appointments to meet with her! I…"

"Look. You look like a really sweet, young thing. I am new here to the Citadel. I cannot simply drop what I am doing and go…what? Why are you looking at me like that for?" Agatha asked Alex.

"We should go," he grinned softly. _:It gives us a new place to settle our drones.:_

"You think we should?" she frowned. In truth, with what he told her, she was now all for it.

"Why not? All we were going to do was hit up a few bars," he shrugged.

"Very well. We will meet with this…Consort. Lead the way," Agatha nodded. "Also, do know this. I will not meet with this Consort alone. I always have my mate, my stud and my guardian escorts."

"I shall inform her," the asari messenger nodded and was quick to punch in the location of where they had to go. John sighed and shook his head.

"I'd go with you, but I need to check with David Anderson over what transpired. He's going to help you get situated properly. And, eh, he did want me to ask you to kindly keep your hair under control," John chucked. "Wrex? Garrus? I could use your help, too."

"I'd rather go with her," Garrus admitted. "But, I'm sure she'll be fine."

"A drone will tell you what's happening. We can have one linger with you," Robert nodded. "And, we _will_ talk very soon. Maybe, if we hit up a bar?"

"That works. You tell me when. I'll buy the good stuff," Garrus nodded. They actually shook hands. Alex rose a brow at this. _Robert was thinking positively about something..._

"Robert?" Agatha asked him when the others left.

"I think I'll be okay, if he becomes your second stud. I can't stand the thought of some bullshitter muscling in, but this guy…he respects boundaries," Robert said. "I'm willing to give him a chance."

"We know how you were about other studs," Alex said.

"I know. That first guy was a sick fuck. I'm glad I killed off that waste of meat. But, Garrus clearly had no idea what he wanted to do. Anyways, let's go see this Consort. I'm curious about this place, anyways," he chuckled.

"In truth, Garrus has a lot of your qualities," Agatha smiled. "I do respect him, as much as he does for me. He understands a lot more than we know."

"As his memories show," Nick nodded. Spike was clearly tolerable of Garrus. That also meant a lot. The Hunter liked the crew. But, it gave a snarling, hissing growl at the building of the Consort.

"I know, buddy," Robert said and pat a large shoulder. "I don't like this place, either."

"It feels…slimy," Agatha muttered. "Too clean. Too nice. Too…dull."

"And I'm not changing my attire," Alex growled out. He was wearing his usual clothes. He clearly stuck out like sore thumb. He didn't fucking care. The drones walked into the building first. Then Robert walked in with Alex. Agatha appeared after that, and Nick was taking up the rear guard. At the sight of them, all conversation stopped with full shock.

"If you'll just come this way," the messenger said and gestured to the stairs. "The Consort will see you now. Her room is at the very top."

"Fine," Agatha sighed and had Spike lumber forward.

 _:My Emperor!:_ Osiris called out.

 _:What?:_ Alex asked him directly.

 _:The salarian egg was retrieved. There's only one problem. The child that hatched out will not bond to anyone! She is insisting to be taken back to us! Her growth…from what I was told…the moment she hatched, she became nearly full grown! And, I think it was because of Mother's egg that her DNA was put into. The child is like a young adult now. She's able to make her own decisions. So…:_ Osiris was at a loss for words.

 _:You mean to fucking tell me that we gave them back their kid, and their kid doesn't see herself as their kid? For fuck's sake…!:_ Alex groaned.

 _:Bring her back to us.:_ Agatha chuckled. _:I will happily claim her as my daughter.:_

Now Alex wasn't happy, but he sighed at a touch from Agatha's tendriled hair to comfort him. He looked back at her and muttered, "Ground rules. First thing when the girl gets here."

"Of course, my love," Agatha beamed. Robert was clearly in shock at what Nick whispered to him. He could only grimace with what Alex was already thinking. _At the same time, maybe it was for the best. They would care for her and see how an alien child would work with them._

As they climbed the stairs, Agatha only took in the various halls and waiting rooms they walked through. She felt irritated. Just by being in the building, it put her on complete edge. When they reached the top, the sensuous asari female waved at them to enter.

"I am glad you are here," she seemed to croon out.

"I'm not," Agatha growled. She didn't like how the asari was looking over Alex and Robert. And, when the asari finally rested her eyes on Agatha, she cringed inwardly.

"There is no need for you to feel nervous," she tried to soothe.

"You insisted for me and my family to come here. Mainly just me. Why?" Agatha growled. Spike snapped at the Consort when she tried to touch it out of curiosity. "Careful. It doesn't know you. It will bite off your hand."

"Oh…" the Consort grimaced. "Well, I was hoping you could help me out."

"With what?" Alex growled. "And stop looking at my mate like that!"

"I apologize, if I offend you," she started.

"Hmm…" Robert frowned and shook his head. "Agatha, I think we need to go."

"Yes. That we do," she agreed.

"Please! Just…hear me out…" the Consort asked.

"You haven't even told us your name, and you are asking us for help?" Alex muttered.

"It is Sha'ira," the Consort said.

"Fine. What do you want?" Agatha asked now.

"I was hoping you could do a favor for me," she admitted. "I was told that you could do mercenary work. I have a stalker. Usually, it does not bother me. But, this is one of my clients. He…has become very unruly. And very unpredictable. I would resort to other means, but…"

"Okay. What does he look like?" Alex asked.

"Surprisingly, he's human. And he said he will attempt to blackmail me," she frowned.

 _:The Citadel whore is being blackmailed?:_ Agatha smirked in the link. That got a few snickers.

"And how do you know this?" Alex had to ask.

"He told me, himself. He said that, while my back was turned, he placed something here. I…had to turn down a couple of clients. He hopes to listen in on secure information that I vowed to never give out," she frowned heavily. Robert paused and turned towards a dresser drawer. He walked over to it and studied it. "What are you doing?"

"I found your problem," Robert said. "Robin, can you please assist?"

"Yes. What do you need?" the large drone asked and walked over.

"Move this out," he said. Sha'ira was simply amazed that the bug was found so quickly. It was carefully removed from the small hole in the wall it was shoved into. Then Robert looked at Alex and tossed it over to him.

"Nice! Spike. Smell," Alex said and held out the bug to the Hunter. It sniffed it and growled. It got the scent of the one that planted it. "Okay. It's ready to hunt. After this is done, the only request we have is for you to not invite us here ever again. My mate doesn't like it here. She hates how you were looking at us. She simply doesn't like you. Do we have an agreement?"

"Ah…um…" Sha'ira seemed to hesitate. "Should something like this happen again…?"

"That's the only time you can contact us," Agatha nodded. "And I will not join them."

"Agreed," she nodded. "And, I must say, you are very honorable and just. You are, clearly, a grand ruler of your people. You will see war and death unlike anything you have ever seen, but, despite all of that, you really are valorous and courageous with everything you do. Please…remember my words. They will aid you."

"I'm sure," Agatha nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to hunt down whoever tried to blackmail you before my pet decides to see you as the prey instead."

At that, she simply nodded respectfully and watched them leave. Right after that, she called up the clients she had to turn down. As she reset up her schedule, Spike was quick to lope down the stairs. The others were forced to run after the Hunter. Alex now thought to the link. _:Spike is on the hunt for a blackmailer. Lelantos. Hermanubis. Thanatos. Start keeping an eye on where this thing is going.:_

The agreements were made, and the Hunter continued to run up to a point until it couldn't go any further. _They had to travel with the kiosk._ Alex frowned at this, but he activated it to take them to various areas until Spike leapt out to run again. The Hunter led them to a bar. And, at their arrival, they were quickly stared at. This was a bar that wasn't meant for regular travelers. And, at the sight of Agatha in her dress, riches and on the top of the massive Hunter, small thoughts of attempts to get close to her were already in motion. That was until Thanatos appeared with a small army of his drones.

"Chora's Den?" Lelantos smirked.

"Find the fucker," Alex growled. The building was under new management, but anyone with a gun was quickly plastered to a wall with viral tissues to keep them out of the way.

"Who sneezed all over my business?!" the new manager snarled and came out of the back office. Then he found himself plastered to a wall next by Hermanubis.

"Don't worry. We won't kill you. Yet," Alex smirked. "We're just…looking for someone."

"I think I found him," Agatha said and pointed to where Spike was snarling. A baldish man was hung up on the wall rather neatly. "Ah. Harkin. If Garrus's memories are correct."

"Hey, doll. You gonna come up here and let me down?" he grunted.

"I was thinking of ripping out your beating heart and feeding it to my pet," she chuckled. "So much more use out of it. Considering that you don't really need it anymore."

"We came here, because a certain female said you bugged her office. We found the bug. It led us to you. So…we're going to go somewhere fun," Alex grinned wickedly. "Away from the cops."

"Cops?" Harkin blinked.

"C-Sec, you sick fuck," Lelantos sighed. "The cops, to us, are C-Sec. We come from a slightly different time line. So, we are going to go somewhere away from here. Where we can kill you with no interruptions. Do you get that little bit of information now? Do we need to explain ourselves again? Geez. My Emperor, can we just kill him now?"

"Take him away from here first," Alex said. The drones came alive and were quick to apprehend him after the viral tissues were removed. As the group left, the bar was freed up. But, as they were leaving, the owner walked over to them now.

"Do you do bouncer services?" he asked.

"We could," Alex mused. "Name a price. My boys don't sleep. Or eat."

"Ah…" the man seemed to blink at that.

"You can't take me away! I'm crucial!" Harkin shouted.

"Convince us before we kill you," Hermanubis grinned. At the sight of Sigyn, he only sighed. "I told you to watch from afar."

"And let you have all the fun, brother love? Come on!" she rolled her eyes. He chuckled and agreed that she needed to play, too.

"What's next on the list?" Agatha asked, as the bar manager was given a calling card. Of course, drones would be set on sight. He wouldn't even need to make a call. The hive mind needed to establish a new method of contact in this place.

"I think Robert needs to be with you. He looks…antsy," Alex said.

"Antsy? What the fuck does that mean?!" Robert scowled.

"Darling, let's just go back to the room. I'll let you fuck me silly," Agatha said with a chuckle.

"Yes, dear," Robert sighed and followed her with Alex not far behind them.


	11. Chapter 11

With Robert neatly being absorbed in Agatha's warm embrace, Harkin found himself dangling from a rope upside down from one of the tallest places in the Citadel. He was scared. He was pissed. He was going to do whatever he could to save his own life.

"Do you know what this is?" Hermanubis asked and dangled the bug in front of his reddening face. Several drones were easily holding the breeder male in place. And, if he fell, he'd just angle himself to run down a building. "It was found in the bedroom of the Consort."

"I just sold it! I didn't implant it!" the man screamed.

"Oh? So…you just provided the goods?" Thanatos asked with boredom and poked at a large toe. They had removed his boots to poke at the disgusting man's feet. Most humans were sensitive to getting their feet messed with. It was no excuse with Harkin.

"Do you think that I can afford a meeting with the Consort?!" he growled. "I could sell one of my organs and still wouldn't have enough credits!"

"So, who's the shitbag you gave the bug to?" Sigyn asked sweetly and got him swearing with a needle prick to the underside of his foot. "Oh! I made him bleed!"

"So you did," Hermanubis smirked. He had a drone nearby collect the drop of blood. "Ah. Good. We got the info. What do we do with him?"

"You know," Thanatos mused. "he helps make people disappear. Why don't we recruit him into our fold? And, if he fucks up, we'll simply take him over."

"What?!" Harkin gasped and got pulled up onto the safety of the steel landing. They waited for his blood to even out before regarding him again.

"You work for us. We give you fruit. Maybe even credits as a reward. Yes, we can pay you. However, you would be constantly watched. My kids don't ever need to sleep. Or eat. Or shit. You fuck up once, you'll be served up as a main course dinner. Got it?" Thanatos asked.

"I get it," Harkin growled.

"I'd say he should get a shot of Mother's blood, but I don't think he's worth it," Lelantos shrugged. "We should string him up on a bungee cord. Ooh! I don't think they have bungee cords here! Can you imagine the thrill people could get, if we bungee cord them off of various buildings and charge for it?! That would be an awesome form of entertainment…"

"And we can use Fuckhead here as a test subject!" Thanatos grinned widely.

"What?!" Harkin gaped.

"Humans are so cute when they look stupid," Sigyn snickered.

"Sister mine, we are not going to keep him as a pet," Hermanubis sighed.

"She's…your sister?!" Harkin frowned.

"Yes. And we fuck each other all the time. It's what my family does. We aren't human. We reproduce differently. In fact, didn't our Emperor say that he needed more drones?" Hermanubis mused.

"Oh, come on! You fucked me silly just some time back!" she frowned. "I want to have some fun, too, you know."

"You don't like me fucking you?" Hermanubis frowned. Now she sighed and sent him a rather interesting image. "You…fucking…bitch…"

"I just take after Mother," she snickered and bolted. "So, I'm having fun at your expense!"

"Whore!" he growled and darted after her. Thanatos and Lelantos were dying with laughter.

"She…threw a Hunter ass at him, too! Remember?" Thanatos managed to ask.

"Oh! Yes, she did!" Lelantos giggled wickedly.

"Hunter?" Harkin frowned.

"You saw Mother, right? The woman riding the large, red monster? What she rode on was a Hunter. It kills things. It could have slaughtered everyone in that bar, too. Bulletproof skin. Somewhat laser proof, too," Thanatos grinned. Harkin paled. "Be very glad that it likes her."

Harkin could only swallow. Now Lelantos thought and gained an idea. "Hmm. I heard about these batarians. You know? The four-eyed fuckers. The space terrorists out here that don't seem to give a shit about anyone but themselves? I'd like to see about meeting one."

"Eating one, too?" Thanatos mused. Lelantos grinned widely at that. "I think they even eat those alien dogs. The varren, I think they're called. We'll get some interesting meats arranged."

"Awesome," Lelantos chuckled. "And, ya know, if we really want to meet these batarians, we'll need live bait…"

"Oh. That we do…" Thanatos mused. They both looked at Harkin.

"Oh, please…" the man cringed.

"We'll make it easy on you," Lelantos said and stood up tall to stretch. "We know who you're hiding now. Your 'on the side job', so to speak. We'll just…find one of them…"

"Oooh. I like that…" Thanatos snickered darkly. Now he went into the link. _:My Emperor, do you recall a race called the batarians?:_

 _:Huh? Oh. Hmm. Yeah. If we cross paths with them, we'll show 'em we're not the ones they want to fuck with. Ever.:_ Alex grunted.

 _:I want to play with them now. Show them who the bigger terrorists are.:_ Lelantos pushed through the link. At this, Alex was actually amused.

 _:So, you want to prove that we are the bigger bullies and want to fuck with the other bullies?:_ Agatha mused. At the pleasing vibe Lelantos gave off, she chuckled. _:Run it by Shepard. I'm all for it.:_

"Okay. Mother is interested. As for you, we'll put you back where we found you. Just remember. You work for us now. You fuck up once, we will know. And we have our boys all over this station now. We will know if you take a shit. If you have a panic attack. Even if you try to get laid. We. Will. Know. Got it?" Thanatos asked in a dangerous way. At Harkin's small nod, he found himself lifted up by a lesser drone of Robin and carried away. The two Kings grinned at each other and now moved to find their mates to get more drones made.

"Garrus," Robert said and walked over to where the turian was watching the cars fly by from Agatha's apartment window. He wasn't needed by Shepard, so he decided to hang out with the others. Garrus looked over and chuckled at the large, dark red bathrobe he was wearing. Now he noticed how exhausted the man looked. That had him puzzled.

"Why do you look like you ran several laps around the Citadel and then some?" he asked.

"Sex with Agatha will do that to you," Robert sighed and moved to sit down in a chair a drone brought over for him. "So, while Agatha is sleeping off the fuck-fest I just gave her, we'll talk. I want to know your thoughts. Why you want to be with her so much. Why you feel you need to look out for her. I really want to know."

"Well, before I get into that, what are your thoughts about me?" the turian asked and sat down next to him in another offered chair. "May as well get this out of the way."

"Good question," Robert nodded. "And, you're right. When I first thought of Agatha having another stud…I got pissed. Not the usual kind of pissed, either. Think of a raging inferno of hate."

"I can see that."

"Agatha, too, was always against it. You heard from her memories what they planned to do to her! That's the last thing I wanted. And the guy that wanted her…he was just trying to up the ranking from where he was. He fucked anything that would give him an edge!"

"That's…pathetic," Garrus growled with distaste.

"I know. It's why I killed him off," he nodded. "Agatha's blood honed my defenses. And, it gave me an instinctive way to camouflage like the drones. I can't just activate it. It simply goes off on its own. Kinda sucks."

"If it gets you out of trouble, then good," Garrus chuckled. "I have yet to get her blood."

"I know. It's why I'm talking to you. And it's funny. When it comes to you possibly making breeders with her, well…" Robert tried to sort out his thoughts. "I think…I'm okay with it."

"You are?" Garrus blinked at him.

"Because you fought hard to get to where you are now. You've been in shit. You've made tough choices. You know what it's like to really survive in the thick of it all. It's like what I did. I've stared at Death in the face. I've seen how slimy a government can really be. And, if it wasn't for Alex and Agatha, I'd probably still be sitting behind a desk and listening to various diplomats complain at me."

"Wow. Sounds like the government here is pretty much the same for you, eh?"

"You can say that. It's hard for idiots and scumbags to evolve, if they remain as idiots and scumbags throughout the ages," Robert chuckled. "But, I got nominated in for the Presidency. And, of course, won the election. The recent guy was sort of…done with it. Too much bullshit."

"Anything can be," Garrus agreed.

"I was also about to get tossed out of the military for insubordination. And, this was after I explained why I was partially detained."

"What?"

"Yeah. Alex hung me up on a wall for three days. Of course, I'm not able to contact anyone for help! When I got back on land to start moving my stuff to the base, I told them I was under fire. That I had to go into hiding. I told them everything. Except for being with Agatha, of course. I had vowed not to compromise her. But…yeah. They tried to fuck me over. They thought it would be best to cut me off to save their asses. Me! The one who fought for them loyally and with no questions asked!"

"Ugh. I'm glad you're in this position now. At least you can help call the shots," Garrus said. That got Robert chuckling with a small nod. "But, you seriously don't mind me being with Agatha?"

"You would need some of her blood first, but, in truth, I wouldn't mind at all. I think it's just the thought of another human trying for it. It's odd. Maybe a whole territorial thing. My woman. My kids. I still get pissed off on thinking about that guy."

"What did you think of Harkin? I was told you had to track him down."

"He's lucky he's alive. Besides, Agatha told me something. The kids want to use him as bait for batarian ships," Robert smirked. That got Garrus barking out laughter. "We know all his secrets. So, we really don't need him at all. He was planning to blackmail us, anyways."

"I wouldn't put it past him. Anyways, what happens now?" Garrus asked.

"Well, I told you my thoughts about you. What do you think about Agatha?" Robert asked back.

"I'll admit. Never seen anyone like her," he sighed. "I doubt anyone ever has. She's up front. She warns in advance before acting on it. She reminds me of a true military soldier. Much like her memories prove, too. She is an amazing person. And I still find it hilarious that she is able to take over this whole Citadel with her hair. I thought they would have made it harder!"

"She didn't hack into anything. That's the funny part. She simply knew how to control the lighting. And that's just the lighting. I find it very strange that it was so simple for her. I thought there would have been protective measures."

"You'd think so. But, that's to protect the Citadel from everyone else. She told me that her body is always adapting. A part of me thinks that she has learned how to instinctively adapt to the Citadel. It makes me wonder now," Garrus mused aloud. Now Robert was amused at that thought, and Hypnos would likely test a few theories. "And, can you do me a favor?"

"Ask," Robert nodded.

"If you do find those batarian bastards, I want a fully recorded vid of the entire event. And I want Harkin to be the star performer," Garrus smirked. That got Robert laughing with agreement.

"Garrus," Alex said when he walked over. "Let's get you a shot of blood."

"Now?" Robert frowned.

"We may as well do it now. If we don't, it may not get done. So, let's do this now," Alex nodded. "It may be one of the few times that we can."

"Wait. Before he does, there are four rules," Robert said.

"Ah. Right. Okay, come to me after the rules are said," Alex smirked and walked off.

"Rules?" Garrus asked.

"Rule one. No kissing. Don't even try it. Alex will skewer you. You can kiss her neck, skin and other places, but avoid the mouth," Robert warned. "Even as an accident, you'll get killed. Almost happened with me. It's not pretty."

"Got it," Garrus nodded.

"Rule two. Do not get into any arguments with me or Alex while she's pregnant. I'm sure you've seen angry pregnant women. She can up the scale immensely. Don't test her."

"I can understand that."

"Rule three. Agatha will never tell you that she loves you. She simply can't. She will care about you very greatly to the point that she will defend you with everything she has. Just don't ask her to tell you that she loves you. It won't happen."

"I see. But, if I get her to care a lot about me, I think I'll be okay," Garrus admitted.

"And…Rule four. Do not piss off Alex. Ever. You know what he can do. He will not hesitate to skewer you and roast you over a spit. I've seen him do this to quite a few people that crossed him. Just think of him as your new boss. He is letting you fuck his wife. If he calls your name, you answer. But, think on this. Agatha is the only one that can force him to back down. You can also reach out to her, if Alex won't cut you some slack. Just by her sticking up for you proves how much she cares about you."

"Good to know. Thanks," Garrus nodded, and they shook hands. "I'd say that, on being with her, I have a bit of a leeway with Alex. I'll still abide by the rules, though."

"You'll need to," Robert grinned. "I'm going to get a bite to eat. Alex is waiting for you."

Garrus rose up and moved to where Alex was waiting. But, as he walked over, he noticed a tentacle of Agatha's hair blocking him. It wavered at him to follow. He sighed, chuckled and walked over to where she was in the bed. "Garrus, please sit with me. I know Robert spoke with you. But, now it's my turn to ask a few questions. And, if Alex tries to barge in, I will cut him off."

"Thanks," he nodded and sat down in the offered chair. "So, what questions do you have for me? I'm ready to answer them."

"I'm sure," she smiled and nodded. "Anyways, I really had only one question in mind."

"Ask it," he said softly.

"Is this really what you want?" she asked gently. "Once you do this, there is no going back. You may never see your family again. You may become lost to the world. Are you sure about this?"

"Wow. I never saw it like that before," he blinked and found himself thinking. "I see why you asked this. You mean…I may never get to see my family again? Um…"

"We can always ensure their safety for you," she said. "That is something we can easily do. And, if it's your children with me, then you know they would do that as the first thing to be done on their list for you. And, who knows? Your family could also join ours."

"Ah, I'd rather not," Garrus said to get her laughing. "I'll let them think that I'm holed up with work. Granted, my Father does work for C-Sec. And he's very high up on that ladder, too. Runs in the blood, I suppose. I just don't want them to come to harm."

"And they won't," she promised.

"Thank you," he nodded. "I don't know what I would do, if I knew they were lost."

"Now, I will ask again…" she smiled.

"Don't bother. I saw your memories. I heard the rules. I know you all are going to roll over anything that tries to fuck with us. Where is Alex so I can get my shot of blood?" he asked with a small chuckle. She laughed and pointed to where Alex was waiting in the doorway.

"And, eh, don't worry. We'll get plenty of footage of the batarians," Alex grinned. Garrus found himself snickering, as he stood up now. "Hell, we may even broadcast the whole damned show."

"I can get us snacks," Garrus said enthusiastically.

"Great! I understand you'll need special stuff? Actually, Agatha's blood may let you eat whatever you want safely. We can carefully test that theory," Alex said.

"On that topic, there is a genophage going on with the krogan. Could Agatha's blood fix it?" Garrus asked. Alex thought a bit on that.

"It would be tricky. Anyone that takes her blood becomes a part of the hive mind. Of course, this means that whoever took her blood and fucks with us would get killed off rather quickly. So…in that sense…I think we may be able to do something. After we secure a planet for ourselves, Hypnos may be able to try a few things. We'll need some viable krogan female samples, though. That can't be helped."

"Ask Mordin for that," Garrus advised.

"Good call!" Alex agreed. "Just come over here."

Garrus followed him and, within a few minutes, the hive had a new family member. He didn't feel any different, but Robert walked over to him. "Welcome to the family! I am curious of something now. Head over to Agatha for me."

"Oh?" Garrus asked. He found himself heading over to her. When he looked at her now, he found himself pausing. Now he understood why she was the Empress. What he couldn't see before was made perfectly clear to him now. He even paused at the small nudge that Spike gave him when it came up to get a good back scratching. Then it moved off to lay back down in a lazy, yet protective way.

"Are you well, Garrus?" she asked. At the feel of a tendril of hair moving to coil around his wrist, he glanced down at it with shock. He felt her thoughts.

"You have my vow. I will kill anyone that ever insults you," he muttered.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Agatha laughed softly. "I tend to kill them before anyone else does. It's instinctive for me."

"Good. Don't lose it," he nodded. "So, when is it my chance to see what we can make?"

"Probably after Alex. I have another five hours before I give birth to these breeders. Alex will need to be with me right after. Oh! I know what you can do. I have a faint idea of what foods you eat, and I don't know if I'll need them with your possible breeder eggs. I may crave certain things. Can you look into that for me?" she smiled. He nodded and found himself thinking to himself. Something told him the hive mind would hear him.

"You are learning quickly!" Osiris chuckled when he walked over. "We heard you perfectly. We'll obtain what we need."

"Good. There are some people I need to have a check up on. I'll inform you all now," Garrus said. Osiris nodded and listened in to the thoughts.

"You know where a batarian home world is?" Osiris grinned.

"It's common knowledge. We know where they come from. We just don't go there," he explained. "It's restricted areas."

"Well, we all know how much my family _loves_ to play by the rules…" Osiris started.

"Yeah. I'm glad I'm part of it now. I'll tell you everything I know and then some," Garrus seemed to grin. "Just keep my family out of it."

"We have drones heading to Palavin now. They will be well protected, whether they know about it or not," Osiris nodded. Garrus nodded back, and they began to plot on how to meet the batarians. And how to royally fuck them over at the same time.


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you serious?!" John asked at the question given to him.

"Yeah. We want to meet a batarian. Face to face. All four eyes. Maybe in combat. What do you think?" Lelantos grinned wickedly. John groaned and shook his head.

"We can even pop out the eyes and start trading them out as souvenirs. Maybe even currency!" Thanatos grinned widely. David Anderson was at his desk and holding his head in his hands. It was just their luck that John was still talking to him. Of course, right after the Kings were done with their mates, they had to act on this. It showed exactly how serious they were.

"We cannot intervene on batarian space!" David finally said. "It will go against everything the Alliance stands for!"

"We aren't fully part of your Alliance just yet. And we're not human, so you all can't be held accountable for it. I have an idea. How about this. You tell us where they like to go to pick people up," Lelantos started to suggest when an alert came up on the communication device. John looked at David, and the button was pressed to accept the call.

"We spotted a batarian slaving ship near one of the outlying colonies," the soldier started.

"Where?" John asked. The Kings were now paying close attention. The coordinates were given, and Hypnos was already deploying a small vessel filled with drones to the location.

"We'll take care of it. Shortly," Thanatos chuckled.

"What?" David asked.

"We've been fucking so much and spreading out the drones that, well…would you like to have a batarian ship brought in for study? Likely within the next day or two?" Lelantos asked. David's jaw dropped. "We can even bring in a few for questioning. If you want that."

"You would be willing to spare them? To bring them in?" John asked.

"Sure. We'd rough 'em up a little, but…why not?" Thanatos chuckled. "So, what do you think?"

"If you can get them, we need C-Sec to interrogate them," David said. "Some of these people we've been after for years. And, if you can even bring in one of their ships to further prove them as being corrupted, well…how can I pass that up?"

"We could even have a few drones take over the bodies and minds of a couple batarian members to gain the inside info of where they all meet," Lelantos grinned. "You want this slaving and piracy bit under control? Leave it to us. We'll get it done easily."

"And, if you have people here that you want to really give a lesson to, we can use them as bait to lure in the slavers," Thanatos added. John looked at him like he was joking. "What? They're all criminals. It would be a rather fitting form of civil service."

"Pallin will have the biggest fit of his life. Unless…" David mused. "See what he thinks."

"I'll go talk to him," Lelantos nodded and quickly sped off. Within minutes, he found himself in front of the C-Sec academy entrance. When he walked in, several guards glanced at him. "Hi! I need to talk Pallin. I have an idea to help out with the batarian slavers."

"He's too busy to talk to you," a guard growled.

"Really? You mean…him?" Lelantos smiled and pointed to Venari walking over with a purpose.

"I told you to ensure that these people can talk to me," he growled. The guards stammered.

"Well…" the guard seemed to panic. Venari sighed.

"Just…remember next time. And, as for you. Follow me," he said and led Lelantos back into his office. "One of your…kids…was able to tell me about what you wanted to do. I can't endanger any lives, but, if you can bring in one of the slaver crews _without_ any losses, I would be interested to see what you have to bring to the table. We are all about peaceful negotiations. If we can avoid a fight, we want that. But, we also want to bring in the bad guys."

"What we were thinking was we take over one of the bad guys. Then we learn their secrets and give you an upper hand of an edge to know where they plan to strike next. All you'll have to do is have your forces waiting for them. What do you think?" the King asked. Venari now looked at him with a form of shock.

"You'd sacrifice one of your own to be a leak?" the turian blinked.

"We do that all the time. Drones are just that. Drones. They are meant to do the dirty work. It's why we have so many. Breeders are the next in line. But, we do what we can to spare them, as they make more drones. Then you have the Kings and Queens. I'm a King, just so you know. We make drones and breeders. That is, I make the drones. My mate, a Queen, needs a true male to make the breeders. As much as we love to get in and fight, we have to be kept safe at all times. It can't be helped."

"I see. It's a bit disturbing as to how you work. But, if you work with us and not against us, I can't say that I see anything wrong. And, you aren't fully a part of the Alliance just yet. So, technically, you could work under the radar. How about this. I'm going to forget that we talked about this. You do what you need to do. Bring in some of the criminals. You prove to me that you can get this done, and I'll have your back in the Council. It's something I usually don't do, but Garrus trusts you. And I hold him with a bit of respect. And, the way I see it, one less slaving group out there is one less mess we have to go clean up. Even if they are after humans."

"There are turians at that colony base, too," Lelantos said calmly.

"What?" Venari asked now. A drone walked over from where it was hiding just outside the door to give over an electronic notepad. The name of the colony was given with the coordinates. "Hmm. I see now. This was a new expedition to colonize a new planet. A test of trust between humans and turians in a far off place. How fast can your men get out there?"

"We just landed," Lelantos mused from what the hive told him. "We do need some E3 tech to fully get any new ships we need up to speed."

"If you pull this off, I'll sign off on any documents you need. The ones I can touch, that is," Venari nodded. "And, even though I said to forget that we spoke, I'll want some inside information. Why are you looking up? What the…?!"

Two drones uncloaked and jumped down from the ceiling to stand at either side of the turian's desk. Venari was in shock. And there were still two more undetected hanging off his ceiling. "You want your info? You'll get it. They'll continue to hide in here and even play witness to any conversations you have. Sorry for not informing you about them. We aren't part of the Alliance yet," Lelantos said with a small, knowing grin. The turian rubbed a three-fingered hand over his face.

"I think I need to get drunk later. But, if I do, I might miss something," he seemed to grimace. Then he paused at a bottle of wine placed on his desk. One of the drones had asked Garrus what the turians liked beforehand. The little gift was purchased and easily kept as a bargaining chip.

"Get drunk now. My drones will detain any others that try to see you," Lelantos nodded.

"This is the good stuff, too…" Venari mused, as he studied the bottle. "Fine. I think I need an hour break. As much as I shouldn't. Well…no. I'll wait until I'm actually off the clock. I can't risk my job over a good drink. I'll still keep this, though."

"I'm sure," Lelantos chuckled.

"I feel like I'm missing something, though," Venari admitted and put the bottle of wine in a storage compartment. "How in the hell do you all grow so fast?! I mean…I was given a breakdown of what you are. How you were made. It's as though all of you are the real threat!"

"You could say that it's from Mother's blood. She grew a year in a day. Pregnancies are a month in a day. Drones and breeders are just…instant. Queens that are birthed have Mother's timeline. Any birthed that aren't from Mother have her growth schedule. Any that come from eggs grow in just a few hours. If you like, I could set something in here for you to see how a drone egg grows. Or I could set one up in your personal chamber where it's far more private," Lelantos offered.

"You would do that?"

"I would. It would prove our strength of trust with you."

A rare form of childish fascination touched the turian's face. "I get out of here in a few hours."

"Good. Tell us where you reside, and I'll be there," Lelantos chuckled. With Venari now making plans to actually watch how a drone would grow in an egg, Hypnos was setting up the final check to make a touchdown landing on Nepheron. He was about to get into a small scout ship to depart in it, but Eir made her way to his side.

"Eir?" he frowned.

"Don't go down there," she said softly.

"I should oversee the building of the new headquarters. Mother is very adamant about this," he said. At her trembling lip, he walked over to her and hugged. "All right. I won't go. What should I do?"

 _:Grandmother, Hypnos feels that he needs to oversee everything personally on Nepheron. I really don't want him to go.:_ Eir said in the link.

 _:Hypnos, you have quite a few drones now, don't you? I am sure you don't wish for Eir to become distressed.:_ Agatha said with a warm thought. _:You have been working extremely hard lately.:_

 _:Mother, you told me that we needed a base. I was given a timeframe. I feel that, if I don't keep to it, then I will lose status within the hive.:_ Hypnos admitted.

 _:Listen up.:_ Alex said calmly. _:You keeping Eir under control is just as crucial as setting up our new home. Get a shit-ton of drones out there to do what needs to be done. You are already making a really good headway on a lot of stuff that has to move around. Don't worry about it, and think of it this way. If you need drones, I'm giving you permission to call on them for your projects.:_

 _:My Emperor!:_ Hypnos actually blinked at this honor. At first, he was told that he would be one for the others to report to. Now he was given full permission to call on anyone that he needed, other than personal escort drones, of course. He was the second King, anyways, so such a thing would be considered a privilege. Cronus did have such leeway, but he never reacted to it if he didn't have to. To him, resorting to others was a show of weakness. Alex knew that all too well.

 _:How far along is the new base?:_ Alex asked now.

 _:We've actually made quite a bit of progress with the raw materials we were able to salvage from other abandoned places. Colonies did try to live here at some point, but the threshers either killed them or drove them off. There were quite a few constructions already here that we simply repurposed. Of course, all labels, serial numbers and identification marks have been removed. Oh! One other thing…:_ Hypnos seemed to chuckle out.

 _:Yes?:_ Alex asked him.

 _:We killed a thresher. It was surprisingly easy to do, and we hauled it out of the ground. We're still pulling the worm out of the hole. It's rather massive. From what we have right now, we pulled over a mile of it out and cutting it up on the go. Wrex was correct on food for several months. With the one we just killed, we may have a good year and a half for supplies. We'll have a few slabs sent to him shortly, and I am even going to procure the head of it to start a trophy collection for us. Mother is going to get the largest slice of the thresher we can make.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:Excellent! Start up a packaging plant to keep the meat from spoiling. We'll make thresher a new menu item for those that like it. And, I want your Mother to try it first before the rest of you.:_ Alex smirked at the hive link. He felt a bit of disgruntled thoughts come out, but they knew why _. It was a new meat, and Agatha deserved to have the first taste of it._ It would become a new tradition to the hive. Any new meats that were presented to them would be given to her first to show that she was the Empress in full. It would be a sign of respect to her.

Of course, the hive mind already respected her and loved her fully. This little act was just to cement down everything even further to those that didn't know what to expect of her. After four hours of intense work and meat transporting, Agatha was soon presented with the elaborate slice of thresher meat.

"I'm glad Hypnos got the warp jumping down. This would have taken a week to get here!" Robert chuckled. Wrex was only staring at the large slab of meat and felt his mouth watering.

"All healed up?" Alex asked and watched Agatha neatly slice off a bit of the fatty-looking meat.

"I am," she smiled. "The breeders look good, don't they?"

"They do!" Alex chuckled and watched her put the small bit of meat into her mouth.

"Hmm. Very earthy. Chewy. It's almost like a cross between pork and beef. Very interesting! And it's a bit fatty, too. Likely from being part of a worm-like creature. Oh! It has an aftertaste of fish! Now that is new!" she laughed softly. "I do like this!"

Wrex was about to ask for his slice of meat, but he was already being presented with a sizable portion. Now that she sampled it, the meat was being easily dispersed. When she finished off that slice, another oddly colored piece was given to her. Nick smiled and said, "This is part of the heart."

"Oh!" she blinked and was quick to sample it. "Wow. Very rich! I think I like this better than the actual meat! Much leaner in texture, too."

Alex was able to sample it next, and even he was nodding his head at this. "Yeah. She gets the hearts. The rest we can sell."

"The liver is just as good," Wrex said and burped after he finished off his slice. "Man! Been a _long_ time since I had that! Still just as good as I remember it."

"Well, if you want more, just ask," Nick said.

"I'd try it, but I don't know if my digestive track would take it," Garrus said.

"You know what? Let's try it. You got a shot of her blood. You might be able to eat anything we can now. What's the most that happens? Bad stomach flu?" Alex asked.

"Or bad gas. Whatever happens first," Garrus shrugged.

"Aim at the door," Alex smirked. Garrus seemed to nod in a thoughtful way. "Anyways, it's going to be at least another half day before you can be with Agatha. I need to make sure more drones are birthed. You can be with her after that's done."

"Priorities as always," Garrus nodded in agreement. "It's fine."

"It's worth the wait," Robert nodded and got served his sample slice of thresher meat. "Hmm. Pretty greasy to me. From all the fat, I think."

"It's the best part!" Wrex scowled at him.

"That's actually the blubber. It's what gives it the worm-like texture. All the real meat is under that. You know, I wonder if thresher oil can be made as a natural form of fuel. Like whale oil," Nick mused. Now Alex found himself grinning at the idea.

"I did have another idea. You said this upper part was blubber. I wonder if we can fry it up like they do with pig skin and make rinds," she giggled.

"We will have to try that!" Robert grinned widely.

"And, since threshers are hard to harvest, I have to wonder if it's better stuff all around than what's able to be provided for both oils and meats," Agatha added. At their snickers and nods of agreement, she then said, "We would need to leave at least one planet untouched. Or not very settled in on. We would need to use them like cattle."

"And that's true," Alex mused. "We can have a good thousand drones do that. Thresher farming. It would work. Maybe train a couple of the fuckers to be used as personal pets…"

Spike gave a small whine at that. It heard the sound of another possible pet and believed it was going to be replaced. It was clearly growing in intellect with each passing second on being with them. Agatha laughed and let her tendriled hair give a loving caress to its back. Then she crooned out, "Don't worry, Mr. Fluffster. You're not leaving my side."

"Its name is Spike," Alex growled. The Hunter seemed to grunt out a 'no' at him to get his jaw to drop. Agatha was now in tears. Now Alex turned to glare at it. "Remember the rule."

At that, Spike jumped up and trotted over to him to lean into his side. Agatha was now looking for a phone to take pictures. Alex was not amused. At the sound of the door opening, they all turned at the sound. John had come back in and was carrying a child in his arms. It was the small salarian girl that had hatched in the egg.

"She just arrived. I had to bring her here. She was very demanding," John chuckled. Her large, blue-black, slanted eyes blinked in an upwards way, as she studied Agatha and Alex. She had a pretty skin tone of a silvery blue in pigment. The small appendages on the top of her head were a touch shorter in size than males would have. She was wearing an orange suit that was designed for space travel, and she appeared to be two feet tall. As much as her proper salarian people wanted to keep her for blood work experiments, it was the drones that were quick to intervene in their sly way to slip her right back out from their grasps. They never left her side as a precaution. She was spirited away the moment it became apparent as to what her natural race wanted to do with her.

"Mother?" she asked in her helium tone. "You didn't want me…"

"My dear. You will never be sent away again. And it's not that I didn't want you. We just didn't know what was best for you. Now we know that you need to be with us," Agatha said softly. When the girl looked at Alex, he was quick to move and collect her from John's arms. She clung to him and shivered from the tears of relief that fell. He simply held her and cradled her until she calmed down.

"Were you hurt?" Alex asked carefully.

"No. But…they wanted to…do things to…" she shivered. Agatha stiffened. And, when she let just a mere fraction of her anger be felt, Wrex actually swallowed. John seemed to shift. Garrus now looked over to nod with complete approval. _The child was well protected._

"If any come here to look for you," Agatha growled. "they will be looking for their innards after I rip them out myself. You have my promise."

"Did they give you a name?" Alex asked.

"They wanted to. I said no," the girl mumbled.

"Good. Hmm. Agatha, you know the other kids will want to be here to meet her," he said.

"If that's the case, we should have enough drones to cover them," Agatha nodded.

"Huh?" the girl asked.

"You have a lot of other brothers and sisters. You could see most of everyone here as family, too. Okay?" Alex smiled and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. You're not gonna be sent anywhere else."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Your new name is Alya," Alex said. She looked at him now and pressed into him while sobbing with relief. She was extremely smart, as all salarians were. It was going to be even more apparent now when a shot of Agatha's blood was painlessly given to her. She may have been formed in one of the eggs, but the shot was crucial for her. "Hey. When you get bigger, you'll get a part of me. Okay?"

"Okay," she nodded.

"A part of you?" Garrus asked.

"Kids that don't feel comfortable around anyone else other than me and Agatha are given a very special option. To become a byproduct of me. The change is permanent. And I always give them the choice. Even though it's a bit mandatory, they've never said no. We have a few kids under us now. All of them were neglected, homeless and abused. When they come here, my drones will be covering them. And, eh, John. Just so you know, my drones now inhabit Nepheron. And they just sent us some thresher steaks. Want to try some?" Alex grinned. John now found himself seated and served up a large slice.

Garrus was actually enjoying it, too. Agatha's blood allowed him to eat other foods at long last. He was very impressed with the textures. Alex moved to sit down with Alya to make sure that she had a decent meal. She was smuggled along with the drones for so long that he knew she needed the pampering she deserved. _And likely a good, hot bath later._

Ragland was already being told by Hariti on what was going on. He was now making plans to get to them. He was a bit of the hive's personal doctor, after all. He had to make himself available.


	13. Chapter 13

"How exciting!" Andromeda giggled when they finally made it to the Citadel. Ragland was with them, and Hariti was holding a case of medical supplies. Other drones had collapsible equipment to set up a temporary lab with Hypnos's instructions, and it would all be set up in Agatha's apartment.

"Don't jostle around so much, Mom," a rather buff, red-headed young man said. He was holding a small crate that contained a rather feisty cheetah cub in it.

"Keid…" Perseus warned.

"I know, Dad, but I don't want this little guy to think he needs a chew toy, okay?" Keid said.

"He will, if he starts to teeth," Ragland said and chuckled.

"I can't believe that I'm in outer space," Mellony said with a form of awe.

"Believe it!" Orion grinned and took in the sights. C-Sec was already giving them the escort that they should have given Agatha when they finally managed to walk out of the docked ship. The Council was quite strict on this new rule.

"I think they're staring at our outfits," Gemma frowned.

"Let them!" Lyra sang out.

"I feel like I'm being studied," Nash muttered, as he walked with them.

"We're a new race! It's only proper that they do that," Talitha said.

"I wonder if I can date an alien," Maia mused aloud. At this, she got tickling side pokes from her siblings. Gemma found herself eyeing a turian officer and blushing softly. Of course, it was only casual flirting. Nothing more would likely come from it. She always liked dragons for some reason, and, to her, a turian was likely the closest thing that would come to it.

"So, what can we do now that we're here?" Orion asked.

"Hey, kids!" Osiris waved when he walked over. "Mother wants to see you all."

"Okay!" Andromeda beamed.

"Do we get our own rooms?" Orion asked.

"Not sure on that. Just, eh…play it cool for now," Osiris chuckled. He did accept the hugs he got from the girls. They were all his sisters, anyways. Even when Robert waved at them from where he saw them, he got tackled with hugs all around. He saw them as his daughters, too.

"Hey, girls," he laughed softly and saw Keid with the crate. "And what is in there?"

"A gift for Grandmother," Keid beamed.

"You have food for it?" Robert asked.

"Yep! The drones have that," he nodded. "And it's weaned."

"Good. Okay, let's go," Robert said and started to lead them off.

"Hey there, sweetie," a human civilian male grinned at Lyra.

"Fuck off," Orion growled protectively. "That's my sister you're eyeballing."

"Oh, it's fine," Lyra smiled sweetly. "I'll just tell my Mother, the Empress, about him. That I was getting looked at! I'm sure she'll want him looked at, too."

"Huh?" the man blinked. He had heard of the Empress and how quickly she was being reported as someone not to be crossed.

"In fact, let's bring him with us!" Gemma giggled wickedly.

"Um…" the man swallowed and suddenly found two drones uncloaking next to him to grab his arms. "I don't think I want to meet her!"

"I'm sure of it," Robert muttered and let Lyra snuggle into him affectionately. "Considering that you were eyeing my daughter. A bit of my daughter, anyways. Alex is her true father. And, I'm sure he'll be _happy_ to know that someone like you is interested in her."

"Like fucking hell I am," Alex growled when he arrived on the scene in his speedy way. "Lyra. Did he touch you?"

"You'd think I'd let him?!" she gasped with shock. Now the others started to snicker. "Dad, even you know that I have higher standards!"

"Good. And as for you, you sick fuck, if you so much as blink at my daughters again, I'll hand over your head to the Council as a fucking peace offering! Beat it!" Alex snarled out protectively. The man bolted after that. He was making plans to leave the Citadel for good.

"I love you, too, Dad," Lyra smiled and skipped over to him to get her hug. "Where's Mom?"

"She's doing fine. She's almost ready to give birth to the drones, though. Then Garrus has to fuck her to see what comes out," Alex said rather bluntly.

"Garrus? Oh! The new stud! Okay," Orion mused.

"I'm surprised that you're tolerable of him," Keid said to Robert.

"Trust me, the thought is mutual. But, he went through Hell like I did to earn his place. He didn't fuck his way to the top," Robert grunted.

"Well, I'm hungry. What's for lunch?" Mellony asked. Orion could only agree with her on that. As they walked back to figure out what was on the menu, Garrus was keeping Agatha company.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"The same," Agatha smiled and sighed, as she lay back on the pillows. "The stretching seems to have stopped. It's just…waiting for the pain to hit."

"And, when it does, I'll go outside. Oh, I took the liberty of getting some clothing sent here for the new breeders. We may as well get them to start fitting in. I'm not sure what mine would look like, but I'm sure we can alter what we have. And I'm glad that this room doesn't have any windows," he smirked and stood up to stretch his slender limbs out. "I'd be killing anyone that tried to look in, if it did."

"Wonderful to know that you're a man that understands my need for privacy," she chuckled. He laughed softly and nodded at her. When a tendril moved to gently coil around his waist, he closed his eyes with a sense of profound relief.

"I'll never get over this feeling," he whispered. "that I'm actually accepted for being who I am. And trusted completely. Yeah, Shepard trusts me with his life. But…this is another type of trust. Something that I just…I can't explain it."

"Robert would understand," Nick nodded with a small smile.

"He would. Wouldn't he?" Garrus mused. "And, I'm still amazed that I can eat whatever I want without suffering a setback! Anyways, what's next on the agenda?"

"After I give birth, you are going to be with me," she smiled and looked over at the door when it opened. Alex walked in first to assess her. Then he had the kids come in.

"Mom!" Andromeda beamed and moved to her side. Any that couldn't move in close got a loving tentacle caress to show she cared for them all. Even Spike was given a good scratching by Orion, but it was curious about the cage that Keid had.

"I brought you a gift," Keid smile and brought out the cheetah cub.

"How cute!" Agatha gasped and carefully held the small cub. Spike growled, and she clucked her tongue. At its whine, she said, "You are always my favorite. And, when this little one gets older, you'll have a playmate! You can even help teach it things. Won't you like that?"

Now it tilted its head at her and sat down. At the small, sharp mew the cub gave, Spike now realized that this was a bit of an infant. It was going to think on what Agatha said. Nick took up the cub to hand over to Eddie. It would ensure the cub was pampered and properly trained.

"Okay. She's about to give birth. All of you out," Alex ordered. "Garrus, you should stay to see how this works. Robert can babysit."

"No problem," Robert smiled and let the small group lead him out.

"Where is Alya?" Ragland asked when he walked over with Hariti.

"She's sleeping right now in a secured room. Let her sleep. She's been through a lot of shit lately. We don't want to stress her out anymore," Alex warned.

"I'm well aware. I'll set up my lab," the doctor agreed and moved into another area to do just that. Then he stopped and came back. "Oh! What would you think about cross-breeding a thresher with a Hunter? Do you think it would be something of interest?"

"That's a fucking scary idea. But, we could do this for messing with terrorists. Do it," Alex grinned. "However, we need to do this on one of those planets that houses them. Safety procedures."

"I would have said the same," Ragland chuckled and walked back out. Garrus now watched Alex make a new tentacle nursery consisting of his own viral flesh. Once Agatha started to shiver from the familiar pains, Alex was right there ready to receive the readying eggs.

"I'm here. I'm ready," he said in a soothing tone. She nodded and braced herself, as the eggs started to come forth. Garrus watched with a form of intense fascination at how the eggs were carefully extracted and set into a waiting hole. Once the last egg was freed from her, Alex went over all two hundred eggs with a critical eye. When he knew that all were healthy and thriving, he nodded and moved to press a kiss to her mouth. Her belly was regenerating rapidly, but she was starved now.

"I should eat," Agatha winced at a hunger pain.

"You will," he nodded and had Kim come in with a large slice of thresher meat. He made sure she ate the whole thing to heal before looking at Garrus. "No kissing. No confessions of love. No stressing Agatha out. Don't piss me off at any time. We clear?"

"Crystalline," Garrus nodded. Alex only nodded curtly and walked out of the room. Now Garrus sighed. "Wow. Why do I feel like I'm about to regret something?"

"That will only happen, if you don't heed the rules," she smiled. "Are you ready?"

"For what? For…oh! You mean…now?!" he blinked. When she gestured for him, he found himself getting excited. Her tendriled hair gently coiled around his form in a rather loving embrace.

"You are wearing far too much steel. Aren't you?" she smiled softly. He was quick to start removing it with her tendrils helping him out. "And, that's an odd eye piece you have."

"It's a…bit of a scope…" he muttered and gasped at the feel of a warm tendril against his back. "Just…eh…don't let that thing go anywhere it's not supposed to…"

That got her laughing and moving to shift herself to a position that would work for him. Now that he was experiencing his first multi-orgasmic roller coaster ride of pleasure and Hell, Robert was calmly watching the kids play a video game. Orion was participating in this, and he was scowling at every racing game he lost. Mellony was just giggling at the whole thing.

"So, why don't you two have any kids yet?" Robert frowned.

"It's not like we haven't been trying. I think it's just rare for us. Just look at how long it took for Keid to come about!" Orion said. "Sure, it was right away, but there haven't been any made after him."

"What about me? Hey! Dad! That's not fair! You ran me off the fucking road!" he growled.

"You deserved it," Perseus grinned. "Now suck it up!"

"Mom…" Keid seemed to beg.

"Ah, who's the badass that stole the cheetah?" Andromeda smirked.

"I thought you kids didn't like acting your ages," Robert grinned. Now the game was paused, and they all dog-piled him to get him laughing. When they finally let up, he coughed to regain his breath. "Dionysus should get this treatment next."

"Oh, we'll do that. Maybe to Hermes, too!" Talitha grinned and started up the game again.

"Where's Osiris?" Nash grinned widely. Robert barked out a laugh and got up to find him.

"Osiris. You're turn to hang with the kids," he said when he found the breeder male going over the news broadcasts. Osiris nodded and walked off. Within five minutes, his surprised shout of laughter was heard next to rock the room.

"Father?!" Osiris managed to voice out.

"It just shows that I still win. Now keep your ass there, as I figure out what to do next," Robert ordered. At the sight of John walking over to sit with him, he gave a small nod.

"I was hoping to find Garrus. I need to go over some strategic maps with him," the Commander said. At Robert's small smile, he rose a brow.

"Garrus is, ah, meeting with Agatha. To put it lightly. He won't be available for a good hour or so. Sessions with her can be really intense," Robert chuckled.

"You mean…he's with her…and…?" John blinked. At Robert's small nod, he sighed. "Shit. I really needed his insight on something."

"Ask me. He gave us a drop of his blood, so we have his memories. Maybe we can help you?" Isis asked and sat with them. Robert gestured to her and let her snuggle into his side. "Thanks, Father."

"Of course, Isis," he smiled and kissed her forehead. "I think I'm gonna take a nap. I haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Okay!" she smiled and regarded John again. Robert had his eyes closed and had already dropped off into a dead sleep from his military training. "What did you have in mind?"

"It's about the slavers. The batarians. Lelantos just told me a bit ago that they landed right into the center of a turian settlement. Some humans are there, too, and they already threatened to take hostages. Unfortunately for the batarians, they also took in a couple drones as hostages…"

"Oh…" Isis blinked and bit back her smile.

"Yeah. Lelantos was told not to hurt anyone. The batarians are now trussed up and ready to be delivered to the Alliance fleet as peace offerings. Same with the ship. However, there are other slaves on that ship. They need help. They've been beaten, abused and completely run down. Treatment is gonna be hard to come by. My question is this. Do we bring them back for our staff to look at them? Or, do we see if they can be okay with the colonists?"

"Hmm. He would have brought them all in for getting looked at for sure," Isis frowned. "And the batarians, he'd have either shot them all, or brought them all in."

"Yeah. That's Garrus," John sighed and got her giggling. "Well…what do you think?"

"Me? Or the hive?" she grinned. "Me, personally, I want to kill one and slow roast it. Same with the hive. At the same time, we do want to prove who the bigger threat is now. So, ah! Hmm. One batarian just tried to kill a drone. He got consumed. So…now we have a way into the batarian worlds."

"You all killed one?!" John blinked.

"Self-defense. He attacked us first. The bullets don't hurt us at all. Naturally bullet-proof!" she beamed at him. "So, for now, we are going to use this new body to get into batarian space quietly. There are about ten workers on that ship. We just took out one. You can have the rest."

"All right. I guess…well…we'll just keep quiet on one of them going missing," John sighed. "If it helps us get to where we need to go, then fine."

"Another thing," Isis said seriously. "We are looking into Cerberus."

"What? Why?" John asked and leaned over to show he wanted to know.

"Because we want the tech that they have. And, we want to know why they are doing what they are doing. They brought you back. Had you work for them. You split from them, in a sense. Your memories showed us this. So, we are slowly tracking down every base you destroyed on every planet you visited. Every code that you saw, we are piecing together. We want this 'Illusive Man'. And, we will get him when we find him," she smiled a touch haughtily.

"And, what will you do when you find him?" he asked.

"Not sure. We'll figure that out when we find him. We're also going after the Shadow Broker," she chuckled. "But, you already knew all about that."

"I did. I'm not sure about the Illusive Man. He's impossible to find. Just when you think you did find him, he's already gone. He's always a step ahead of everyone!" he muttered.

"Well…how can you track a virus, if you can't bug it?" she grinned. "Although, I do find myself wondering. Bullets can't hurt us, but, if we allow ourselves to come to harm, we can be injected with needles and such. It seems to be an instinctive thing, now that I think about it."

"You're right," Alex said when he walked over. "Apollo let himself get injected with stuff. Even cut up to try things. Of course, my claws can fuck up any of you. Proteins and other stuff that helps out is okay, too. At the same time, this stuff was made with your mother's blood. And, it had stuff in it that helped our bodies heal and adjust with things. I'm starting to wonder if our bodies are naturally evolving to reject things that we know are going to be harmful to us. Hmm…"

 _:I can test that theory, my Emperor.:_ Hypnos said in the link.

 _:Do it. I want to know what happens.:_ Alex agreed. "Okay. Hypnos is going to try it."

"Dad?" a small voice asked in the distance. Alex looked over, gave a small smile, and gestured to Alya to come over and hop into his lap. "I couldn't sleep."

"Why not?" he asked.

"I had a bad dream," she shivered. He let her snuggle into him, and he gave her a protective, fatherly squeeze. At the tickling poke to her side, she knew he wanted to know what it was about. "They caught me, Dad. That's what it was."

"Do you want a drone to be with you when you sleep? I can give you a personal set of guards," he said. At her small nod, he nodded back, and let her get the rest she desperately needed in his protective embrace. "Just sleep here. I'll watch over you. If your Mother needs you, I'll let a drone hold you."

"Nah. Let me hold her," Thanatos grinned when he walked over. She turned and smiled softly to let herself get transferred over. "Don't worry. Big brother Thanatos will happily slaughter anything that tries to wake you up. You can sleep now."

She yawned and found herself doing just that. Alex smirked and said, "Thanks. I don't know where I'll need to be after Agatha is done with Garrus."

"I know. It's why I offered," Thanatos grinned. "And, as for the batarians, I want to meet one. We all do. Hell, we should just sneak one here!"

"No!" John scowled to get them laughing. "They are too dangerous to see what the Citadel has to offer! We don't want them to see or hear anything!"

"But, we can blindfold them and put stuff over their ears," Isis smiled.

"I don't know if that would work. I mean…well…" John frowned.

"We just want to fuck up one of them. Then we can send that one back with a message," Thanatos grinned wickedly. John sighed and shook his head.

"Look. I know that what I want to tell you isn't going to work. So, I'll make a deal with you. You find one that isn't part of the crew. You can do what you want with him, but away from everyone here. The less we know, the better off we'll be. But, if you find out something important…"

"You'll know," Alex grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Don't worry. We'll make sure you're the first in line to know."


	14. Chapter 14

The small batarian slave ship was calmly making its return trip to batarian space when the attack from the inside suddenly hit. The small crew was gloating over the successful raid on another colony. They had a rather large haul of humans. What they didn't expect was what happened within the hour of them leaving the planet. Several of the humans they caught had broken free from their containment cells and seemingly vanished. What really had them puzzled was how the cages were opened. Two lesser drones of Nick were caught. The steel was slashed open in a bizarre way. Those drones then freed the other ten drones that were being held in other cells.

"Keep quiet," a lesser drone of Kim whispered to the humans. "We'll get you back home."

"Who…are you?" an older man asked. He saw how the drone lost its shape to become its true one. As much as he was scared, he also felt rather safe.

"The new galaxy police. We work in infiltration. Don't worry about a thing. Leave this to us. You are innocents in this. We'll get you back to the colonies. Just remain calm," a lesser drone of Nick nodded and camouflaged to take up a position.

"Find out what happened! Find those prisoners!" the batarian guard in charge of the cells snarled out to the three lesser guards. When they left to investigate, they got consumed quickly. Then he got consumed from behind from the lesser Nick drone. The drones moved swiftly throughout the ship in a quick and seamless fashion. But, the main guard that was consumed moved to where the main helm was. Only the pilot was there to keep the ship steady.

"Why are you here?! We have to get these humans out of the Terminus systems! The market's gonna be closing soon! We got a good haul today, and we need to be on time! Go find Captain Silus! He should be near his quarters. I'm too busy navigating the ship," he grunted. He had no time to scream when a lesser drone of Kim took him over. Both drones nodded to each other, and the drone started to turn the ship around. They had to drop off the humans first.

"What's this?!" the Captain growled at the sight of the stars suddenly moving in the opposite direction. When he moved to leave his quarters, a lesser drone of Robin was there at his door.

"This ship is now confiscated. You are our prisoner. Do not attempt to fight back. It will be futile," the drone said in its monotonous way. "The humans here will be returned. You will come with us for questioning."

"What…are you…?!" the batarian Captain seemed to gape when four lesser drones of Eddie uncloaked around him. "And…how…?"

"We are not human. But, we intermingle with them. We are a new, viral race. A disease on this galaxy. And you just caught us!" the second lesser drone of Nick said with a twisted grin on its face.

"Our Emperor and Empress wish to speak with you directly. So, after the humans are returned, we shall go to them. This ship will be repurposed for our causes. We will make an example of you to your race. We are not part of the Alliance. We are a neutral party to them. We only intervened here, because you tried to steal us away. Our Empress is very displeased. Shall we hope you do not die so quickly? We will have to see what happens," another lesser drone of Kim seemed to smirk.

 _:I'd say to get a drop of blood from him, but don't bother. For now, bind him up.:_ Alex ordered. It was quickly done. _:Okay. As for the other memories you acquired…hmm. Omega. That sounds like a fun place to visit. We'll go there after we talk to the head fuck in charge of this ship. Let the humans go home, and you all bring the ship here. But, you may have to let the humans go a bit of a ways away to avoid suspicion. Explain it to them so they understand to keep the panic down.:_

"We shall put you in a cell now. Shall we see how you fair in one of your own holding units?" a lesser drone of Aiden chuckled. "And don't worry about the humans. We won't let them touch you."

When the Captain moved for a gun, the drones around him had already confiscated it. They even had every other weapon on board in a lock down. The takeover was neat, orderly and seamless. The viral race was something none had ever expected. None of the races would even suspect something like them coming around. And now with drones building various space stations all over the Milky Way, it was going to be rather hard to get them to leave.

 _:My Emperor, we found a thresher maw nest. After killing off the guarding parents, we were able to steal the eggs. We will see how they develop, extract some DNA, and run a few tests.:_ Hypnos said calmly. _:They do look similar to worm eggs. Even snail eggs.:_

 _:Interesting! Yeah. Do what you can.:_ Alex approved. Captain Silus was promptly moved into a waiting cell after that, and the captured colonists were returned. There were still a good twenty drones living among them peacefully, so the colony would still be well defended. All of the colonies in the Terminus system would get small shipments of drones sent in as a silent form of defense.

With a new ship being sent off to Hypnos for a refitting in design and crew, Agatha was thinking hard over various things. Garrus's breeders were neatly forming in her, and the turian was still recovering from what he went through. He was still in a state of shock.

"Is he gonna live?" Robert asked at the sight of the sleeping turian.

"He'll be fine. It was pretty much the same for you on your first time with me, remember?" she chuckled. "He just didn't know what to expect. He does now."

"I'm sure your blood will evolve him to take the next session neatly enough. However, I've been gleaning over some new memories. Where's John?" Alex asked when he walked over to sit on the bed with her. "I need to ask him a few questions."

"He's talking to Councilman David Anderson," Nick said.

 _:Thanatos. Find John. Ask him about…Omega.:_ Alex snickered.

 _:A new playground?! Oh, you know I will, my Emperor!:_ Thanatos chuckled darkly and was quick to find the office that held them both. "Knock, knock!"

"Who's there?" David asked calmly. John now looked over at Thanatos walking.

"Just someone who wants to pay the Omega district a visit and help fuck up the economy a little bit more," the King grinned. David took in a deep breath and let it out.

"It's not in Alliance territory. And, technically, your race isn't fully a part of the Alliance yet. You know what to look out for with all the memories you're gleaning. So, you know where to keep clear of. But, if I know how you all work…"

"You tell us where we shouldn't go, and we end up going there," Thanatos chuckled.

"Just don't tell anyone that the Alliance told you to go there," David said.

"We wouldn't do that. If they ask us about it, all we have to say is that we're not part of the Alliance. That they know of us, but we didn't join them. In truth, I think it's best for us to stay as a neutral party. We like to work for the side that's gonna win. So far, that's the Alliance. Everyone else is just a new form of a main course meal," the King grinned.

"You would really eat them?" David seemed to pale.

"We eat humans, too. But, Mother has been trying to curb us from that. I think thresher meat is gonna become our new staple for now. It's quite good!" he said.

"It's okay. Not too bad," John said with a form of agreement. At how David stared at him, he said, "Yes, they gave me some of it. I think it would do well as a new food resource."

"And how do we know that?" David frowned. Then he gaped at the heavy slice of slow roasted thresher placed in front of him by a drone. It was thinly sliced and garnished with a few sprigs of parsley to help it make look appetizing. He was starting to feel his mouth water. _It smelled really good, too!_ "That…is from a…?"

"Yep! Go ahead. Try it. Tell me what ya think," Thanatos nodded.

"Trust me, David. It's not bad," John chuckled. The Councilman sighed, picked up the utensils and tasted a small portion. Now he found himself in complete awe.

"This is…surprisingly good…" he muttered and found himself eating another piece. "Okay. I need to do something now. Come with me. Both of you."

"What's that?" Thanatos asked. David picked up the plate, got up from his desk and started to walk out of his office. John now moved to follow, and the King was close behind. They reached another set of rooms, and David was allowed entry.

"They need to come with me, please. I am giving them clearance," David said to the guards. He walked into the asari Council chambers with them.

"David Anderson? Ah…what is…?" the asari woman blinked at the plate.

"Try it," David said. She looked at him curiously, but did as he asked.

"Wow! What is this?!" the asari gasped.

"Thresher meat," Thanatos grinned. Now she stared at him with disbelief. "and those things are massive. We have a good three year supply of this from how fast we've been killing them."

"We can ration this meat out to colonies in need. And, with threshers growing at such an alarming rate, this could be a readily available food supply. I wanted to bring this to your attention," David smiled.

"We can start shipping it out the moment we get clearance," Thanatos nodded. "We'll have our drones working nonstop to ensure the needs are met."

"I'm…very surprised at all this," the asari admitted. "We do have documentation about your race now. We are trying to glean more. But, just to know that you can actively kill threshers, and that you are offering some of your stores to help us…"

"We don't want to become a full part of your Alliance just yet," Thanatos said. "We will help you as a neutral ally on the side. We will help your Alliance grow stronger in the background. In truth, we can be a hidden form of your Spectres. You just give the word on what needs to be done. We'll simply do it. We'll even give the credit to someone else to help keep things under wraps. Like…John for example. We'll do something out of the way, give him the details, and he gives the report. We just love killing things to simply kill things. Of course, we do evaluate who we are going to kill before going in. However, since we are on the topic of killing things, we are slowly making our way into batarian space."

"What?!" she gaped and nearly dropped the plate being held. A drone appeared to take the plate of meat aside to set down. She didn't even know that a drone was hidden in the room!

"Anyways, yes. We are going to bring down the slaving ring. Completely," Thanatos grinned wickedly. "We're just showing off that we are the real threat to anyone that tries to become better than us. We respect those that respect us. We help those that give us a chance. We aren't all heartless, and we do take in the homeless that want to prove themselves. Even orphaned kids."

"You all sound like a bunch of vigilante mercs at times," John said.

"We can be just that," Thanatos shrugged. "Look at how you treat the krogan."

"Right," David sighed.

"How do you plan to bring down the slaving rings?" she asked.

"How else? From the inside," Thanatos nodded. "We already know of a way to infiltrate into their systems. We find out where they are going to be. Then we give them a true taste of Hell when they land to pick up some locals."

"A cold method for sure. Just do not bring the Alliance into this," she warned. "A meeting will need to be done about this."

"Why? You all won't know anything. We don't belong to your group. Just turn a blind eye to it. Now, for the thresher steaks, sure. I can get that. But, everything else? Fuck it. We'll handle that," Thanatos said calmly. "If the batarians come to you to bitch at what's going on, well, how can you talk to them if you don't have any idea as to what's happening?"

"It's not the point," she frowned. "We, the Council, represent a multitude of races-"

"Save the speech. I know," Thanatos said. His attitude completely reflected Alex's when it came to this. "So, I guess the only alternative to this is to do stuff that you aren't aware of. Right?"

"Stop!" David said quickly. "If you can't report to them, at least report to me!"

"But…why?" Thanatos frowned. Now they looked over at Alex walking in.

"Sorry for crashing the party. You. Fuck off," Alex growled at Thanatos. "Your Mother told me to come here to straighten this out."

"Yes, my Emperor," Thanatos nodded and walked away. As much as David was relieved that Alex was there to take over, he was also very wary. His instincts would prove correct, as always.

"I am here to tell you that in the next two hours another batarian slaving ship is coming here. We caught the Captain and dismantled the crew. Yes, the colonists were returned safely. Now, I will give you three choices," Alex said to the asari woman. "One, we interrogate the Captain to find out what he knows. Two, we simply let him go and curl up into a form of what mental ball he wants to hide himself in while pissing his pants. Three, we kill him and cover up everything. Maybe even blow up the ship, too. What do you think?"

"I…" the asari was in shock at how blunt and to the point everything was.

"I say interrogation," John said quickly. "We can find out where the slavers plan to appear."

"We really don't want him dead," David said. "If we can get a step ahead of where they plan to go, then that would be the best resolution."

"I must detest this," the asari finally said. "Your reasoning is just short of being a vigilante! And to do this without Council approval is something I cannot push forth."

"So, here we are trying to help you get rid of a problem that no one wants, and you're shutting us down? What the hell?!" Alex seemed to growl with distaste. "And, we aren't a part of your Alliance just yet. What I'm telling you is out of respectful courtesy."

 _:My love, I think it may be best for us to leave the Citadel once we bring that slaving ship here.:_ Agatha said to him in the link. _:It's only obvious that we are not really welcomed here. It's been that way since we first arrived. We just need to leave and be done with it.:_

"Hmm. My mate just told me that, after this is done with, it's time to leave this place," Alex frowned. At the questioning glance from John, he sighed. "We're not welcomed here. We try to solve a problem, and we get pushed aside. Let's face it. We are trying to stop criminal actions all over this fucked up galaxy, and what do we get for it? A slap in the face?"

"No! That's not the case at all!" she said quickly. "We understand what you are trying to do. It's just…we have to uphold an image for the races we represent. Your race is far too new. We cannot evaluate you properly. We know you wish to help, but how you want to go about it is something we cannot approve of. We don't know how you all react to certain things, either. Even by me having this private conversation with you without the other Council members is something that shouldn't be happening. This is all spiraling far too fast for us to keep up with."

"You should know how they are by now. They make the krogan look like nursery school bullies," John smirked slightly. "In my opinion, I think we need them. We need someone that isn't going to put up with the crap of any other races. We need a race that will go to war at the drop of a bullet and not worry about the consequences of their actions."

"We don't mind being the new form of dirty police," Alex shrugged. "We are trying to help you out with a food shortage, should it happen. We are already sending out drones as new guards to help take a load off your C-Sec employees. We are just now protecting new colonies from being stolen away. But, we are still being treated like shit. So, here is what we can do. We'll open up a building. A space station. A neutral zone. And, if anyone needs our help or services, they can pay us a visit."

"But, if those services require you to attack us…" David frowned.

"We know who respects us. We know who to fuck with and leave alone. If anyone suggests it, we'll call it a breach in contract," Alex grinned slightly. "It's what we do back on our home planet."

"Agreeing to such a thing is something we usually don't do right on sight," the asari frowned. "And, for the record, we had informed the C-Sec operatives to bring you to us when you arrived. We did wish to meet with you. For them to draw their guns…it was not our intention to greet you like that."

"We found out who did it. We were informed of that. But, the damage is already done," Alex said. He didn't say how that little issue was neatly cleaned up, though. He had mildly promised Venari to keep that secret under wraps. "In many cases, it may be best for us to just be a neutral ally to the Alliance. And, I'm sure we'd set up a small spot for gambling, hotel stays and anything else. It would help us make some form of other credits. And, with the surplus we make, we would donate to causes."

"Can I get a permanent room?" John had to ask.

"Sure! And we'll include a nice hot tub for ya," Alex chuckled. John chuckled and nodded at that. "But, I'm sure you understand why we feel we need to leave. In another week, we'll have our space station up and running smoothly."

"A week?!" the asari gaped.

"Yeah. I have a lot of kids that like to work," Alex smiled.

"Just let us know where. And, I want to go back to the topic of that batarian ship you're bringing in," David said. "What do you plan to do with the ship?"

"Ah. Yeah, we plan to hold onto it for our own purposes. We'll turn it into a cargo frigate. We're gonna need a few ships for all the supplies we plan to spread out," Alex said.

"That would make sense," John nodded. "We'll need to register it."

"Oh. You would, huh? Okay. We'll figure all of that out," he agreed. The asari had a lot of conflicting thoughts now. _The viral mind was both good and bad. They were helping, but they were doing a lot of things that the Alliance was not approving of. At the same time, results were getting done._

"I must speak with the others," the asari finally said.

"I know. I'll join you," David nodded. "I can try to explain it better. If we are going to war with Alex's family helping us, we need this form of action. We are dealing with Reapers. Exterminators of all life as we know it. If something isn't going to act soon, then we need something to act now."

"Spoken like a true soldier," the asari sighed. "Let us speak with the other Council members."

"Fine. But, I will interrogate the batarian Captain when he gets here," Alex snorted.

"As a Spectre, I'll represent the Council and join you. To help report," John said.

"Sure, sure," Alex muttered. When they got out of earshot, he growled out, "You know I'm going to fuck up the Captain. Right?"

"You know I'm not going to stop you. Right?" John muttered back. They both looked at each other, shook hands and went to the ship docks to wait for the slaving ship to appear. They talked about different trade routes, currency needs and supplies that would be needed to dispersed to the colonies that were too far out for immediate protection.

Alex was also asking questions about Omega, the problems there and various factors on economy. He was quite interested in the vorcha race. He even mused at the hidden idea of letting loose a couple trained Hunters into the mercenary buildings just to piss off everyone. Hermanubis would likely have them ready to go at a moment's notice.

 _:My Emperor. We have arrived.:_ A drone nudged him.

"The ship is outside, but out of detection zones. We need to get to it. Is there something we can use?" Alex asked. "Do you have an idea?"

"A bit tricky right now. I would say to bring the batarian here, but we know that C-Sec will intervene. We do have emergency vehicles that we can use. Or I just use my Spectre skills to get us there. The Council knows that we plan to talk to a batarian," John mused aloud. "Let me call Anderson and find out what we can do."

"Okay. I'll wait here," Alex nodded. John got up and went to a kiosk to fire it up. After a short conversation, John walked over, tapped on his shoulder and gestured for Alex to follow him.

"Special access is granted. We can pilot a small ship used for quick escapes. I'd use the Normandy, but everyone knows when she leaves and comes back. We need to be discreet," John sighed.

"Hmm. How long will this take? Agatha will be due for birth soon. Another four hours, if the timeline is right for breeder eggs. Ah, fuck…" Alex sighed. "Agatha wants to play, too…"

"What?" John frowned.

"Yeah, she's bitching. Okay. We have to wait for her to give birth. We need to bring that guy here. Is there a way we can do that? Wait. We can. We'll need Agatha's help for it," Alex mused.

"How?" John asked.

"She can use her hair to make an invisible shield. We knock out the Captain to keep him from squealing. We bring him to our room with her covering him. Yeah. We need her help," Alex said and was quick to start walking back to his room.

"Let me report to Anderson," John said. Alex nodded, and they parted ways. Several drones were going to ensure that John was safe. There were a good five hundred drones in the Citadel now from all the breeding out the Kings and breeders were doing. It was needed. And, in the next hour, that number was going to triple from the waiting eggs in various hidden tentacles around the Citadel.

"About time you showed up!" Agatha grumbled. Garrus was standing up in his armor and shaking his head. Robert was laughing at him.

"I know you warned me," Garrus growled at him.

"You lucked out by passing out when it was done," Robert said.

"It made you feel bad?" Agatha frowned.

"No! Of course not! I was just…not expecting it," Garrus said quickly.

"You'll adjust for next time," Alex said when he walked over. "You have some time. And you're still growing slowly. It's not the fast stage yet. If you let Robin carry you, you can cloak around it. Same with Nick and the others. Deal?"

"Okay. Let's do this," she nodded.

"Hmm?" Garrus asked.

"We're roughing up a slaver Captain," Lelantos beamed when he peered into the doorway.

"You know what?" Agatha mused aloud. At everyone glancing at her, she said, "Lelantos, you consider yourself rather stealthy. Surely…you can sneak him in…"

"Don't bother…" a quiet, gruff voice sounded out. "I have him."

"Oh?" Agatha smiled at the sight of a King with storm grey eyes and black hair tossing the Captain into the main room. His Queen moved in after that to embrace her grandmother. "Oceanus and Ran! What a pleasant surprise."

"We just arrived. We heard what was going on. Oceanus insisted to help out. He is the fastest one next to our Emperor," she giggled. "We got on the ship and retrieved him. Oceanus ran him here the moment the transport ship docked. No one even saw him!"

"Good!" Agatha beamed. Then she waved at John when he walked in. He was a touch surprised at seeing the Captain, but he nodded to show he was ready to watch what went down.

"Set up a chair," Alex smirked. Once the Captain was tied down and alert, Alex grinned wickedly. Then he revealed his claws. "Hi. You met my kids on your ship. I'm known as the Emperor. And my claws have names, too. One is named 'Fuck'. The other is named 'You'. If you don't answer my questions, I get to put them together inside you and rip you a new one. What do you think?"

"Ah…" the batarian Captain gaped. Agatha was dying with laughter in the other room. The others were just as amused, but still curious as to what was going to come out of the Captain's mouth. Alex had all the time in the world to coax out the answers. He couldn't wait to see what information would be spilled forth for him to glean without getting a drop of blood. He considered it a challenge. And, if he needed more coaxing, Spike was hissing at the unknown scent and barely kept calm by Agatha's tentacled hair. The batarian male was going to talk one way or another. There was no other choice for him if he wanted to keep his life.


	15. Chapter 15

Several C-Sec vessels were now in motion to rendezvous with various check points throughout the Terminus System. Captain Silus was very happy to give over what he knew so far. And, on addition to them letting him keep his life, he was now being employed to further find out what was going on. Of course, he was losing his ship, but he knew he had no choice in that, either.

When he saw Agatha riding on top of Spike in her Grecian finery, he was speechless. He actually vowed to keep her a secret as long as he got to see her! She found it hilarious, and she did grant the request, but she also had him vow to not seek her out as he saw fit. He would have to make appointments. Even then, it would be on a look and don't touch basis.

"I will do everything I can just to see you again!" he seemed to beg.

"Why is that?" she asked with a touch of boredom.

"I have never seen such beauty in all my life! I…well…if you need a place to go, you let me know. I know of places that none have seen yet. I can hide you very well," he said.

"Hmm," Alex mused. "Will you give us a drop of your blood? It's a test of trust."

"Trust? From him?" Garrus seemed to smirk. At the feel of a tendril of hair gently coiling around his arm, he looked over at her. She looked bored, but he felt how amused she was at it all.

"If he is willing, I don't see why not," she murmured. Spike was on edge. It hated the scent of the batarian Captain. "Easy, Mr. Fluffster. It's okay."

Alex rolled his eyes at the name, but the Hunter only responded to it when she said it. It was Spike to everyone else. "Fucking pet names. Anyways, do we get a blood drop from you?"

"Yes! Of course!" he said. The drop was collected, and now Alex was rather amused at how the batarian had first thought of trying to sell them all as slaves. But, Agatha truly had him smitten with a touch of lust. It was bound to happen to any that saw her.

"Send us a list of where the next few slave drops will happen. And…you have contacts on Omega?" Alex asked in a curious way.

"I do. Did you plan to go there?" Silus asked. "I can ensure you have a good stay."

"Don't bother with that. We're planning to open up a neutral space station. We just need a good place to put it," Robert said calmly.

"Oh! If you go into the same space that Omega is, that tends to be neutral enough. Even the outlying systems around the Terminus Systems would work. It's just on the brink of Citadel space, so it would be enough. Omega is known to be an area to be cautious around," Silus said.

"Perfect. We'll find a place to plant our station around there," he nodded.

"A word of caution. Omega is pretty much run by an asari female named Aria T'Loak. She is the one that really holds the law there," Silus started, but Alex rose up his hand.

"We aren't living on Omega. Just in the same neighborhood. We might visit, but we won't stay. She can keep her Hell-hole. We'll keep ours. If she wants to recruit drones, she'll have to get in line like everyone else," Alex snorted. "We only do special favors for complete allies. Neutrals are on a waiting list. Enemies get served up as a main course for dinner. It's all we need to say."

"And, Hypnos is already starting to send out pieces of the base to where we need to go," Osiris said. "He has the drones welding and constructing now, as we speak. He's using one of the ships for gravitational leeway to keep things steady. He may have to repurpose a ship just to salvage certain things to get the base running."

"Hmm…" Alex frowned and thought into the link. _:Hypnos, are you sure you need to tear apart a ship just to make a base?:_

 _:I'm sorry, my Emperor. We have no choice. I have no parts to make a gravitational core, much less a solid structure to build into. The ship will be put back together in time. It's just to help us start to do something. It won't help to have the station pulled into another section of the cluster we want to inhabit. Until we find a stable form of day and night cycles, the ship's bulk is needed.:_ Hypnos explained.

 _:I see.:_ Alex frowned.

 _:We would want to be on the opposite side of Omega.:_ Agatha suggested.

 _:I'm already on top of that! We don't want to be detected too soon. And, if we are caught, we have over a hundred drones ready to counter anything that gets too close for comfort. The jet packs I made are simple, run on little to no energy, and they are solar powered. Considering that we are going to be close to a giant sun with no nightfall, they will never need to restock on any form of power supply.:_

 _:Good. I'm happy. What's the ETA?:_ Alex asked.

 _:The usual week, if all goes well. Could be faster, if I get more supplies. I have been making headway, and I do have drones going into Omega as casual buyers for used supplies and goods. We've also started to stock up on element zero stores. This is important as a neat form of currency and material need for specialty ships, and Omega does have a mining facility built right into the heart of where this stuff comes from. The asteroid the city is built in is an element zero goldmine. It was, originally, one whole asteroid. Then another asteroid hit it. It split completely in half…:_

 _:Okay. A mission then. Find the other half. Even if it's in bits and pieces, we want all of it.:_ Alex grinned wickedly and regarded the others. They would know of the hidden mission. The others that were not a part of the hive mind were on a need to know basis. "Okay, Silus. You make your reports and usual rounds. We'll give you a way to contact us. We'll sneak you back out to space. But, just remember this. You get one chance. If you fuck it up, you get killed. No matter how much we like you."

"I understand," Silus nodded.

"Hurry…" Oceanus nodded. Silus could only grimace when the King gathered him up and ran him out a back way to avoid suspicion. They chatted about for a good ten minutes when Robert felt a familiar, odd pulsing sensation. It clearly put him on edge.

"Quiet," Robert said and focused. "Someone is trying to sneak in with a bug."

"Where?" Thanatos asked.

"Downstairs at the main door," Robert muttered. Lelantos was the one that went down to see what it was all about. He paused at the sight of an asari holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers and an elegant box of deluxe chocolates.

"This is a gift for the Empress by a secret admirer," the asari started.

"Oh? Nice! Hmm…" Lelantos thought. _:Flowers and candy were sent to Mother.:_

 _:Find out who sent them. And Robert says to ditch the flowers. The chocolate is fine.:_ Alex ordered mildly. Lelantos already had given the word to find out who sent the gifts.

"Our Empress doesn't have room for flowers, as they can wilt and die. However, the chocolates are appreciated. Please send back the flowers. Thanks," Lelantos nodded, took up the chocolates and closed the door neatly before the asari could say anything else.

"Chocolates? For me?!" Agatha beamed and Lelantos offered her the box after he opened it. Then she frowned at a small thought. "I want to know who sent them. I don't like secret shit. Even if it's a compliment to me."

"I know. Hmm. Wait a minute…" Alex frowned and studied the chocolate pieces. "Hey, John. Is chocolate supposed to look blue?"

"What? Well, with food coloring. But…hmm. It doesn't look right," John frowned.

"I don't smell anything that I would eat with dextro-amino acids in it," Garrus said when he walked over to inspect the candy next. He was now untrusting of it.

"Spike. Eat," Alex said and offered it a chocolate piece. It sniffed the chocolate and growled, as it hunched away. "Okay. If Spike won't touch it, then it's all poisoned."

"I want the mission!" both Lelantos and Thanatos said together.

"Someone tried to poison you?!" Garrus bristled up. She was pregnant with his first line of breeders. He had every right to be livid.

"Let me take this to Mordin," John said. "He can isolate the poison and find out what happened. I am curious about those flowers now."

"Send a piece to Hypnos, too," Alex said.

"Give me one," Ragland said when he walked over. "I can help get a head start on things."

"Good. Do it," Alex said. _:Hera. I need to go hunting.:_

"Alex, even I know that you want to find out who did this and tear into them. Go on," Agatha smiled. Robert knew how pissed off Alex was. He was rather glad that various others of John's crew weren't there to see Alex like this. _He wouldn't have been well received._

Kim now walked over with tender, candied pieces of thresher heart for Agatha to sample. She would be kept preoccupied this way with various forms of thresher meat treats to be sold. It was also to offer her a new form of meat to taste test safely on being made by her own personal escort. Now that this new delicacy was being enjoyed, Alex was storming out of the building. He was in a complete killing mood, and he found himself leaping up to run up one of the buildings to the very top of it. Once he was at the very top pinnacle spire, he glared out over the bustling area.

 _:My Emperor! I have a drone following the asari messenger!:_ Hermanubis said.

 _:Tell me where she goes. We need to find the fucker that tried to kill your mother. NOW!:_ He seethed in the link. The drones were now searching silently and relentlessly through the Citadel. Any place they avoided was now infiltrated. All of the little, dark corners were being occupied. They were combing through the station like a series of fine-toothed combs.

 _:Oh, Zeus, you know I likely wouldn't have come to harm. He probably thought I was human.:_ Agatha chuckled softly. _:And Ragland found out that it was a mild sedative. Something that was supposed to knock my ass out and cause a scare. It would have done nothing to me.:_

 _:Fuck that! This thing tried to poison you. I want its head on my fucking wall, and its body roasting on a large spit!:_ Alex hissed out. _:I want answers!:_

 _:Found something, my Emperor.:_ Hermanubis said. _:There is a short shit living in a remote area. Looks like one of those merchant dealers. The volus. They are the main merchants of the galaxy. He appears to be rather ticked that the flowers weren't accepted.:_

 _:Apprehend the fucker. Bring him to the apartment. Now.:_ Alex ordered. He jumped down from his perch and seemed to fly down the building at a break-neck speed. He jumped near the center-point of the building, and landed on the balcony of the room Agatha was staying in. A drone let him in quickly, and he charged right over to where Agatha was.

"I know," she said gently.  
"I already informed Anderson. He wants the volus to be brought before the Council for questioning," John said. At the dark look Alex gave, he sighed. "While on the Citadel, we have to work with the rules. Off of the Citadel, you can do what you like. Make your own place with your own rules. Any that step foot there will understand it."

"You can take what's left of the little fat shit after I deal with it!" Alex growled. Spike was tense and upset. When the powerful male was upset, so was the Hunter. It knew that something was wrong. "So, before you take it to the Council, I want to ask my questions first! This bastard tried to poison my wife. My mate. My reason to fucking live. A bug was attempted to be placed in my temporary home. I. Want. Answers. First."

"Okay. Just don't kill him. We need to find out which volus it is. As a Spectre, I can represent the Council. I'll stay here. Oh, Wrex wanted to be here. He heard about what happened," John said.

"It's because I told him," Garrus said. "Liara is also stopping by with Tali."

"We're also here," Orion said when he walked in with his other siblings. Mellony was with him, of course, and she was just as concerned as the others. Chairs were now brought in by the drones, and Wrex charged into the room with a snarl.

"I want to head-butt the one that tried to hurt you!" he growled. "You brought back my favorite dish. I'm not gonna lose it again!"

"Who tried to poison you?" Liara asked with a heavy frown.

"We are going to find out," Agatha said with a small nod.

"Disgraceful!" Tali scowled. "Poison is a coward's tool!"

"That it is," Robert agreed with her.

"Ah, I did want to thank you for the diamonds! I can use them as various catalysts with power surges in a few electrical currents that have become faulty," Tali started. At Agatha's sudden laughter, she paused. "Is something wrong?"

"I gave you the diamonds to wear and flaunt. If you needed some for mechanical means, I can give you some that don't look as nice," she chuckled.

"Oh! Ah, well…" Tali said with a touch of a flustered voice.

"Just tell us what you need. We'll get it to you. Use the ones that Mother gave you as a form of elaborate jewelry," Thanatos smiled with a nod.

"Okay. I can do that. Thank you," she nodded back. Alex was a wall of silence. He was on edge and fully pissed off. But, when Agatha placed a loving tendril of hair over his shoulders, he didn't push it away. He only sighed and patted it to show he wasn't pissed at her.

 _:I love you, Hera. Just knowing that something tried to outright kill you…:_ He growled out.

 _:Zeus, I love you, too. Just remember. Many think we are human. That is their downfall.:_ She chuckled lovingly. He moved to her side to press a loving kiss to her mouth. "We'll get our answers."

"I know. And, after this, we are leaving the Citadel. If this fucking Council can't even protect us from shit like this, then fuck it. We're gone. Let them find us, if they need us. I'm done with this," he said. John could only agree with him now.

"Let me go!" the volus shouted when he was suddenly dropped in front of Alex and Agatha. The drones were able to ambush him when he tried to flee for the shipyard docks. At the sight of Alex glaring at him with a form of intense hatred, the volus swallowed. Agatha studied the short, rotund alien. He was fully encased in a suit with a special breathing mask to give him the ammoniated air his body was adjusted to. His eyes were glowing yellow from the suit, and one could almost see his mouth moving in the ventilation piece as he talked. If he ever left the suit, he could easily die. His body wasn't designed to live in any other environment than what his race grew in.

"Um…" he started.

"Shut the fuck up! I'll ask the questions!" Alex snapped out. "Why did you send bugged plants and drugged candy to my wife?!"

"What?! They were…oh, dear…" the volus shivered. He clearly didn't know. "I was just told that it was important for the items to be delivered! So, I asked an asari to help. It would have seemed awkward for someone like me to give over such a thing, right? When I saw the flowers being returned, I had to run away. I was told that, if I didn't deliver the stuff, my life would be forfeit!"

"Hmm," John thought aloud.

"I hate to say it, but he's telling the truth," Garrus said. "It's a…feeling I have. I just know."

"Interesting. I can detect transmitters and bugs. You can be a living lie detector. I like it," Robert chuckled. Alex rose a brow at this, but the hive mind easily agreed. They felt Garrus's thoughts and knew how he was able to detect it.

"Do you know who gave you the packages to deliver them?" Robert asked now.

"No," the volus sighed. "I just receive the deliveries and send them out. It's good pay."

"Right," Alex muttered. "I still want the contact information."

"Um, that's confidential…" he started. At the blood-thirsty glare Alex gave, the volus seemed to swallow. "But, I'm sure I can make an exception…"

"Please do. Since I was the target," Agatha finally said when she appeared on Spike's back. She was still in the slow phase of her pregnancy, but it was going to get faster at any moment. The moment the volus saw her, he paused with complete shock at her perfection in face and form.

"Let me update the information to an Omni-tool," he said.

"Send it to mine," Garrus said. The transfer was done, and the volus was returned to where he was. The information Garrus got was now sent to Hypnos.

"If you send that to me, too, I can also look into it. I do have some connections, and I know how information can travel. You can trust me," Liara said.

"Yes, you can trust her," John nodded. Garrus also agreed.

"Okay. We'll send you what we got. Oh, did you try thresher meat yet?" Agatha smiled.

"Um…what?!" Liara blinked. At the sight of the exquisitely sautéed meat, she gasped with awe.

"I don't think I can eat it. I need dextro-amino foods," Tali sighed. "I'm sure it must be the same for you, right Garrus?"

"I can actually eat it now," Garrus chuckled. "but I had a shot of Agatha's blood. I can eat anything now, thanks to that."

"You mean…her blood was able to…?" Tali was a bit stunned at this. "Do you think that her blood could make me healthy?"

"It's possible," Alex nodded. "But, you'd be locked into the hive mind. We'd hear your thoughts. Everything you know, we would know. I'm sure there are other ways to help you with that in time. But, if you wanted to try this…"

"Well…let me think about it," she agreed. "I don't want to rush into something we don't know about just yet. I mean…if it becomes important…"

"We will explore that avenue, if we need to," Agatha smiled and nodded. "My family is building a space station right now. It will be a neutral zone. So, any can come and go as they please. As long as my family is respected, then that's all that matters."

"What does the information say on the one that tried to deliver poisoned goods?" Lelantos asked.

"Good question," Alex frowned and thought to the hive mind. _:What do we know?:_

 _:It was an agent from the Shadow Broker. We are now going to send out drones with false needs of information to track down this fucker once and for all. This thing tried to attack Mother. It's fucking dead meat. And, if it's a single entity, we'll mount the head on a wall.:_ Hypnos said with a rare form of savagery. His mother, the Empress of the entire hive mind, was put under attack.

 _:Don't think you aren't the only one to hunt this thing down!:_ Lelantos snarled.

 _:How many credits do we have?:_ Eros asked calmly.

 _:Good question.:_ Alex said.

 _:We have enough to start up a few businesses. Not near enough that we need, but drones are being hired out as basic guards.:_ Hypnos said. _:I've had to use any reserves for building our station.:_

 _:It is fine, my children. We must not be hasty. If we are, then word will spread. We must work with complete discretion.:_ Agatha advised. _:Yes, I was attacked. It was thwarted. We will slowly find out what we need through drones, hacked informational feeds, and bribery. The usual shit that mobs do when they need to find answers the old way. The Shadow Broker is likely not going anywhere. Not until we find out what it is and where it is. We still have time.:_

 _:Very well, Mother.:_ Hypnos said softly. She only gave him a mental nod. She knew that the entire hive mind had made it a primary focus to bring down the Shadow Broker. Now the clock was ticking, and the entity had no idea. It was how it was going to be.

 _:We still want to find this Illusive Man, too. In a way, I think the Shadow Broker will be easier to find than the Illusive Man. Either way, they will be both be found and either killed or recruited.:_ Agatha chuckled softly. Now Alex was amused.

 _:Recruited?:_ Alex had to ask.

 _:Why not?:_ She countered. That got him smiling lightly.

"All right. What can we do now?" Alex asked the others there.

"There really isn't much we can do," John admitted. "It's just…waiting for your home to be built, I suppose. I have a few missions I need to take care of."

"Need some help with them?" Alex asked.

"I think, if you help me out, the Council will learn of it," he grumbled.

"Not if we have drones with you," Agatha winked.

"Very true! Okay. Send some drones with me. You'll know what's going on, and I won't have to do too much. I may even feel a bit safer, too," John chuckled.

"Good. This way, the Council will know that Agatha and I aren't leaving just yet. Fine. But, I will say this. Thanatos, go with him. Lelantos, I want you to stay here," Alex said.

"Why can't I go?" Lelantos frowned.

"Because, if your Mother has a problem, you need to protect her," Alex growled.

"Yes, my Emperor," Lelantos agreed in full. Spike seemed to whine, and Agatha had it move her back into the bedroom. The fast stage of her breeder pregnancy with Garrus had finally hit. Her needs quickly took priority.

"Garrus, will you be joining me?" John asked.

"I can't just yet. She's having my kids, so I need to make sure she's okay. Ask me when you come back," Garrus said. John shook his hand to congratulate him and walked out with Wrex, Tali and Liara to get things going.

"You could have gone with him," Agatha said gently when Garrus walked in.

"No. I need to see what my kids will look like. I want to make sure they'll be well. If everything will be fine in the future, then we'll see. Not right now," he said and rested a hand on her belly.

"Okay," she nodded. "I am getting hungry now."

"We'll get you something," Garrus chuckled.

"Here. I had it cooked through. Garrus, I wanna talk to you. Nick, guard her. Spike, defend her," Alex said. The teriyaki glazed thresher steak was handed over to her now, but it was cooked in Wagyu beef fat to further flavor it. She was giggling with joy, as she ate this, and the Hunter moved to listen to anything it didn't recognize. Nick was easily helping her eat in the usual way.

"Yes?" the turian asked.

"So far, you are definitely proving your worth. Keep it up," Alex nodded and sat down with him in the main room.

"It's what I intend to do," Garrus said. He got handed a good wine, and took a small sip of it. "I still find it amazing that I can eat and drink other foods now."

"Would you share the secret?" Alex asked with a small grin.

"No," Garrus snorted and had him laughing. "It might become abused. I'll give you a list of people I would trust with the secret. The rest…eh…"

"I can get that," Alex nodded. "I just gotta know, though. Is John still with Cerberus?"

"Not really," Garrus admitted. "He wants to cut them off. They won't let him go."

"Hmm. The next email he sends to the Illusive Man, I want Hypnos to track it. Think we can arrange that?" Alex asked calmly. Garrus found himself nodding with amusement.

"I'm sure we can do something. All of the bugs were removed from here, so we can talk freely. What did you have in mind to start with?"

"I want you to listen to a few recordings. If you can tell who is telling the truth, and who's lying, then it will help us greatly. We won't have to figure out who to meet with. We can just record the whole conversation. Now what are you laughing about?"

"If you can record conversations and remain unseen, can you only imagine the amount of money we can get by selling that to the Shadow Broker? Full, recorded conversations? And such conversations that are supposed to be classified?" Garrus snickered. Now Alex found himself grinning rather wickedly.

"Okay. You win. We'll get that going for funds," Alex laughed with him and gave the command to do it. Hermanubis quickly opted to be the one to help listen in to what would be relevant. Aten, back on their Earth, would be filtering through all the conversations as a form of surveillance. This was an easy form of currency to come across. With drones being undetectable and always on watch, someone was bound to spill something important. _And, when they did, the information would be sold off with a hefty price tag._ Alex couldn't wait to see how much money they would accumulate in such a short time.


	16. Chapter 16

Five hours later, Garrus watched Agatha birth his children. It would be another seven hours before they hatched. From what he could tell, they had pale skin, some of his facial features, and, oddly enough, the females appeared to have hair. He was both fascinated and impressed.

"Nice job," Alex nodded and studied the eggs carefully.

"Thanks," Garrus nodded back. "I'm still shocked."

"I'm sure of it. Anyways, I need to go fuck up the minds of a few shitheads out in the populace. I just fucked her, so she's pregnant with my drones. Keep an eye on her with Nick and Spike," Alex grunted. Garrus paused at that and stopped him.

"If you're going to talk to Venari, I want you to give him something. You had me listen to some recordings, and I think he needs to know about this. It's part of an undercover case he was working on. I discovered something. It will help him out," he said and handed over a data pad. Alex took it and read what it said. Then he grinned a touch wickedly. _It would get delivered._ Garrus nodded again and watched Alex leap out the window. He was still on a manhunt for the one that tried to poison his mate. He was still pissed off. He decided to get someone else pissed off and headed for C-Sec Academy.

He made sure to land a bit away to avoid scarring the uneasy people around him. Just like the humans on his Earth, the same panic would easily happen here. He found it amusing. He found himself walking up to the main doors to C-Sec with a slightly wary stance. Much to his surprise, the guards did not stop him at all.

"Hello, Sir," a guard nodded. Alex only nodded back and continued to walk. Lelantos was soon at his side to walk with him. At this, Alex turned with a small frown to look at him.

"Mother insisted," Lelantos said calmly.

"Fine," he said and started walking again with the King at his side. "How is Gaea?"

"With her stud. A few more breeders won't hurt. We need more drones. We can get more with breeders. What else can be said?" the King shrugged. Alex only nodded at that logic. When they neared the main turian's office, Venari was already nodding to them slightly to enter.

"I want to ask you something," Alex said smoothly.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"What would you do if you found out that someone tried to poison Agatha?" Alex asked. At this said, the turian sighed and hung his head with a form of repressed anger. "They tried to sedate her. To cause a stir. The toxins in the chocolate candy was found and identified. The only place to get these toxins is from a certain form of plant on another world. The poisons attack the neural system over time. They may cause forgetfulness, too. Little shit that builds up over time. You ever hear of it?"

"I think I've heard of that toxin. And for it to be purposely used to harm another…" Venari seemed to frown and gave a hard sigh of disgust. "Did you find a lead?"

"A volus had flowers, which contained a radio bug, and the chocolates delivered to my Mother held the drugs," Lelantos said with a small growl. "Robert can detect bugs. He heard the signal pulses. Also, Garrus took a shot of Mother's blood. He can detect lies. So, he's a living lie detector."

"What?!" Venari's mandibled jaw dropped.

"Yeah. He listened to a few audio tapes. Just by hearing a recorded voice, he was able to hear if someone was lying or not. So, he wanted me to pass on something to you. It was about a case you were working on," Alex smirked and handed over a digital pad. Venari took the pad and read through it calmly. He set it down on his desk and appeared thoughtful.

"If he was still working for me, I'd give him a raise," the turian mused.

"I also wanted to drop this in your lap," Alex said. "Our drones…you can't see them. You can't hear them. You can't smell them. We were planning to have them hide out in various places. Mainly to gather information to sell it. With the right bits and pieces, we hope to track down the Shadow Broker. And, to do that, we need a form of legit information."

"On a condition," Venari started.

"We know. If we find something of interest, it will be delivered to you. Also, I noticed you're starting to hire quite a few humans now. It's not bad. It does show you like diversity," Alex started.

"Now that humans are part of the Council, it seemed to be something we can do. And, after Harkin started pulling his…stunts…" he growled.

"Don't worry. We're taking care of Harkin," Lelantos grinned.

"What? How?" Venari asked.

"Oh, he tried to bug a few rooms. So…we hung him upside down from one of the tallest places on the Citadel until he squealed. We have plans to use him on various building height rides, too, to see how they work. Mainly free-falls for thrill seekers with a safe way to bring them back to the ground. We need a tester, so…why not him?" Lelantos said with a small shrug. Venari was holding his face in his hands. He was actually laughing his ass off in a quiet way.

"We'll send you a vid of how the first test run works," Alex grinned.

"You know, we could use this as a way to set the 'know it all' employees straight," Venari mused. "If it works on Harkin, then I would like to see if it worked on a few others."

"Hell, if they like it, it can be used as a specialty reward," Lelantos chuckled.

"I will never understand what humans see as 'fun'," the turian muttered.

"Can I show him what we think of as fun?" Lelantos grinned at Alex.

"Ugh. Fine," Alex said with a roll of his eyes. Lelantos seemed to giggle and took out his cell phone to bring up the video on it. Venari just stared at the device with surprise.

"Yeah, it's old shit to you. Anyways, this is a video done of a hunt that I did on my Earth. Check this out," Lelantos grinned and handed the phone over to the turian. At the sight of the massive Hunter appearing on screen, his mandibled jaw seemed to drop once again. He watched how the massive thing was pursued, cornered and killed in a rather neat fashion. He was shaking a touch when he gave the phone back.

"Those are only on your planet?" Venari had to ask.

"You saw what my wife was riding on. That's another one of them, but much, much smaller. A lot more intelligent, as it can obey rules like a common pet. But, as the small ones can be trained, we were going to use them like blood hounds. And it was her pet that found Harkin. All it did was catch the sent on the bug. He said he never got into the Consort's chambers. It was only his scent on it. But, now I have to wonder. Whoever planted it may not have touched it. That thought alone makes me think that Harkin could have sold it to someone that knew what to do," Alex thought aloud.

"That was…one of those…?" Venari seemed to hesitate. He didn't even hear Alex's thought.

"Sure. Oh! I have another idea! If we put those fuckers on a planet, we can turn them into trophy hunts! Can you only imagine how much someone would charge to see if they can kill one of those? Of course, we can offer protection or no protection. If they pay extra, we'll help them kill one easily," Lelantos grinned. Alex was clearly impressed with this idea. Venari was amazed at what he was hearing. This went against everything he stood for. _At the same time, they were not part of the Alliance yet._ He thought hard about everything.

"I would say that I would need to stop you. But, if you bring out contracts, and the person knows what they are getting into, then I can't stop them. No one would be forcing them to sign something that you would have on record. You could even record them signing the document, if they try to dispute it. If you think you can set aside some funds for Alliance operations, then it could be beneficial. As much as I hate to think that I'd be going around my own rules for this, it's hard enough to find the creds for basic supplies anymore," Venari admitted. Alex liked the idea of having recordings done of the contracts being signed. _That would neatly be used for any future contract signings._

"What do you need?" Alex asked. "I'll see what I can do."

"I'll have one of my agents give you a discreet list of what C-Sec Academy needs. In truth, your, eh, hive drones have been taking a lot of the lesser pressure off my men. I don't have to pay them overtime anymore, unless they want to work it, and my boys can actually focus on getting things done with more important matters than simple bar fights. So, thanks for that," he nodded.

"Did you want to try hunting one? A Hunter, that is?" Lelantos asked him now.

"Ah…no," Venari said bluntly to get them both laughing. "But, I do have a list of men that say they know how to kill anything and everything. So, if you get your expedition set up, I'll give you the list. Do we have a deal?"

"You could also say that they get a nice bonus package, if they do kill one. Considering that these fuckers are immune to bullets. And lasers. And bombs. If you try to fire at it, you just piss it off," Lelantos smirked. "It's why we just…kill them quickly."

"How do you do that?" Venari asked. Now he froze at the sight of Alex forming his claws.

"We don't use weapons like you do. We have them built internally," Alex said with sharp grin.

"So I see…" the turian said mildly.

"I may carry a gun on me for show to 'leave something' at the door," Lelantos grinned and revealed his sword arm. "I can also make the claws, too."

"The drones have one specific attack style. It's why they attack in small, coordinated groups," Alex explained. "I could even send just one drone into a building to have it walk back out with no problem. Everything else inside the building would be…well…if it was hostile, it'd be dead."

"You would think so. What plans do you have now?" Venari asked.

"Garrus was able to fuck Agatha. So, we'll see what kids come from it," Alex said.

"What? Garrus was with…?!" he blinked.

"Yeah. She tried to get him to back off. But…he has some good qualities now. It's why he had to take a shot of her blood. To be with her. Being a living lie detector is an added perk," Alex grinned. "And, yes, I don't like the thought of him fucking my wife, but, in a new world, sometimes a little adaptation is needed. Will I let anyone else do it? Fuck no. But, if you wanted the 'perfect mate' of your life, we can set something up. You'll need a shot of blood first, though. Anyone that wants a partner from us needs that. It's the only way to do it."

Venari now stood up and turned from them to think hard again. He had his hands clasped behind his back in a deep form of thought. "I'm going to have to ask you both to leave. I have much to think about now, and I can't be disturbed. Do keep me informed of what happens, though."

"If you need us, just talk out loud. We'll likely hear it," Lelantos said with a small smile, as they left the room. Alex was already heading to the next place he needed to go to.

"I'm sure you will," Venari muttered and shook his head. A part of him regretted having the viral race on the Citadel. The other part of him was slap-happy that half of his work load was removed. Just like the Council members, his thoughts were divided at best. He decided that, in the end, he was glad they didn't join the Alliance. _It was less questions to ask and no paperwork to file, at that._ More funds may become available, too, so he had that to think about in a positive light. In many ways, the advantages were starting to outweigh the disadvantages. It was what he was banking on.

Outside his office and in another part of the Citadel, Alex was busy climbing up a building with Lelantos to scout out the city. They both sat down at the top and looked at each other. Lelantos had to ask, "Now what, my Emperor? Is there anything you want me to do?"

"I'm not sure," Alex admitted and thought to the link. _:Thanatos, what's going on?:_

 _:A pirating group of batarians were caught and dismantled. The ship is now ours. Same with a rogue krogan ship, too. We are using our newly acquired ships as cargo for the thresher meat, and Hypnos is sending out false signals that they are true merchant ships. We did have a drone go to the planet of Illium, though. That place is known for intense trading and black market stocks. We were able to bribe a volus into selling a spare merchant frigate. This ship will be used as bait.:_ Thanatos smirked.

 _:Good. See to it. What's going on with that Commander?:_ Alex asked now.

 _:Funny you should ask. He's making his rounds to recruit various squad members. Wrex had to go back to Tuchanka. That's his home world. He's still trying to get the clans together. So, we had some drones go with him and ensure he had a good months' supply of thresher meat to show off. The other clans…well…they wanted to see how strong the drones were. So, once they saw two drones decapitate a thresher in under a minute…and realized that Wrex was allied with us…:_ Thanatos said with a hint of laughter. Alex started laughing with the rest of the hive mind.

 _:They are also requesting for us to build an outpost on Tuchanka to help disperse the thresher meat. We'll work on that.:_ Hypnos said. _:I have gotten the volus ship in my range, and I'm working on it now, as we speak. I will load it up with various merchandise, goods and other things. A two hundred drone crew will be outside and inside the ship. If anything approaches us as hostile, we'll simply claim it into the fold. I also took a look at how ships are registered. It's easy to copy the files and start our own recording of the ships we find. It's relatively simple.:_

 _:You hacked into a secure network?:_ Alex asked with complete amusement.

 _:Yes, I did. It was child's play. I've been learning so much intel on who we've been consuming, that it became common knowledge. Thanatos was able to coax Tali into giving us a drop of her blood. Just by doing that, she was amazed at how fast the drones were able to help her without her giving an order on what to do. She was quite pleased.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:I still want to find that Shadow Broker fucker. What do we have?:_ Alex asked now with an edge his tone to show he was still pissed about the subject.

 _:I was able to follow some information paths.:_ The King, Heimdall, said calmly. _:It seems to be strung through a complex series of agents to avoid detection. We will need more time to unravel it. I have my drones working on that, as we speak.:_

 _:Fine. Get it done.:_ Alex muttered. _:No fucking excuses! This was your mother that was attacked. I don't care if it was meant to be a sick joke. This asshole fucked with the wrong group of people. Find this bastard. Now.:_

 _:Alex, love, stop it.:_ Agatha cut through in the link. _:Yes, I was a target. When am I not a target? The moment all of those fuckwads out there learn that_ I'M _the one they have to fear, well, what else is there to expect? As much as you are the one that loves to kill without any show of mercy whenever you get the chance, you know how I can get when I get pissed off, too. They think that, with me being a female, that I can't do shit. So, yes, I am the one they have to fear the most. And I'm going to prove it.:_

 _:How?:_ Alex had to ask. He was getting turned on by her attitude again. He always loved it when she was in soldier bitch mode!

 _:My children, Hypnos had sent to me that an unknown base is on a rather beautiful planet. I want that planet as our new home. The images he sent to me are wonderful! As for the base, if we cannot convert it, then we need to destroy it. And I want this done now. Also, on Omega, one of my children was attacked for no reason! Please send over a Hunter and give them Hell. Preferably one of the big ones that have evolved currently.:_

 _:On it, Mother!:_ Hermanubis said quickly to have his drones start bagging the largest Hunter they could. Now Alex was very confused about the planet she wanted.

 _:What planet is this?:_ He asked her in a private link.

 _:It's called Aite. I want that planet to be our new home base. Sure, we'll have the ship and the system when we travel. But, if we just want to get away from it all, I want that planet.:_ She smiled. Now he searched through various memories to see why.

 _:Oh. It's got waterfalls. Okay. Fine.:_ He sighed.

 _:So, we need to secure the planet Aite.:_ She said in the full link. _:I want that planet to be my personal retreat and place of safety.:_

 _:It's a planet of romance. If you like, I can send my drones to it and mark off the best spots?:_ Eros nudged him. At the mental confirmation, Alex could only chuckle to himself.

 _:It's also where a virtual intelligence, a VI as they call it, went rogue. Something with Cerberus. For once, I'm finding what these shitheads do to other people is really disgusting. Working for the human race? HAH! They are only harvesting them like lambs to a slaughter!:_ Thanatos said with a form of spite. _:We also learned that this Illusive Man is trying to do what he can to advance humankind.:_

 _:Fuck that! Humans are cattle. Mindless peons at best. Only a rare few show any signs of real intelligence. That said, you know I'm speaking of Robert. Even Shepard is an exception. Anyone that has the balls to respect us can also be looked at a touch differently. Everyone else…fuck 'em.:_ Alex snorted and got the hive mind laughing and agreeing.

 _:Very true, love. Now come to my side and spend some quality time with me. If you think you have the time to do that.:_ Agatha chuckled at him. He sighed, but he found himself doing that.

 _:Lelantos, keep your drones searching for more information on the Shadow Broker. I want that bastard's balls on a fucking mantle under his head if it's a male. If it's a group, I expect the same in the form of a group portrait. And if it's female, save the tits. They can work like a set of balls.:_ Alex growled. That got Agatha dying with laughter in the link.

 _:My Emperor, I would like to do something a touch risky.:_ Osiris said.

 _:And?:_ Alex prodded.

 _:I want to go to Omega with Isis.:_ He said.

 _:No. I go there with Alex. You can join us as an escort. Or, what you can do is this. I want a Hunter to show up there. You want to be there? Make sure you're available to open the cage.:_ Agatha ordered. At Alex's laugh of agreement, the order was already accepted. _:So, I will let you go to scope it out. But, I refuse to let you get friendly with the locals alone. After Garrus's children are hatched, and after I give birth to the drones, we will go to Omega. I'll leave plenty of drones here to guard this batch.:_

 _:Actually, let's wait for the drones to hatch. I don't want to leave my viral tissues here for fuckers to find.:_ Alex said in a rather cautious way.

 _:Ah. Yes, I can agree with you. So, Osiris, you have roughly a full day to scope out Omega. Think you can?:_ Agatha chuckled with the challenge.

 _:I already have drones there.:_ Osiris laughed. _:I just wanted to survey them personally.:_

 _:Fine. Move your ass.:_ Alex muttered.

 _:My Emperor, I know you are going to be relaxing soon, but I wanted to ask you something important.:_ Hypnos said. _:How would you feel if I simply made our station into a giant ship? And it would be able to travel around to help hide us?:_

 _:Hmm. That's…a really good idea…:_ Alex mused aloud.

 _:I have made much progress with the ship, and it seems to be a waste to simply let it stand in a single spot. Trading on Illium and Omega have started to produce intense results! I can easily let the ship I'm using become the station we need. And, as it moves around, we may be able to do far more than anyone else could even imagine.:_ Hypnos continued.

 _:I like that idea, too. Just make sure we can move the ship into areas that are safe enough for it.:_ Agatha said gently. _:It is to become one of our new homes for this new form of interstellar travel. Granted, we may have over ten thousand drones living on it for quick dispersal, but it is a form of resources we don't want to waste at any time.:_

 _:Agreed, Mother.:_ Hypnos said.

 _:Grandmother, can I speak with you?:_ Eir asked her privately.

 _:Of course, my dear. What is on your mind?:_ Agatha asked.

 _:I grow worried over Hypnos. He says he is for me, and he does make time for me, but only when I ask for it. He never…comes to me anymore from everything he is doing for the hive. I…oh…!:_ She suddenly stopped with a form of shock.

 _:Mother, I am pulling Eir away from her talk with you. I have all of the projects able to be worked on by drones now. They no longer need my direct guidance and support. I will calm her fear for me.:_ Hypnos said with a quiet laugh. _:I am going to spend a full day of quality time with her.:_

 _:You do that!:_ Agatha laughed with him. Eros didn't even tell him what to do, so the King was very pleased. He was just about to intervene on Eir's behalf to berate Hypnos. He may not have heard the conversation she was having with Agatha, but he sensed her intense distress. _The only time a Queen showed distress was when their mate was not giving them enough attention._

 _:So, are you the viral hive's relationship therapist?:_ Hermes asked Eros on hearing his thoughts.

 _:Possibly. And you had best spoil Dana now. She's getting a bit pissed that you've also been ignoring her.:_ Eros said. At Alex's mental glare at Hermes, the breeder male only agreed and quickly broke away to tend to her. Alex wasn't one to cross when it came to messing with Dana. _If it wasn't for her female strand of DNA, none of them would be there._

"Hermes needs to tend to her more," Agatha frowned at Alex when he walked over to sit in the bed with her. "I know the kids want to come out here, but they have to remember that we need to keep tabs on our Earth, too."

"I know," Alex muttered and sighed at the feel of her hand in his hair.

"And, we should bring Dana out here," she smiled.

"Oh, sure. The asshole gets to meet Garrus. Hmm. Actually…" Alex started grin when she started to laugh. "I honestly don't know. At the same time, our defenses are so piss-poor that anything could just land and start raising Hell. Fuck. We may as well bring her and the others, too. I don't think we had Loki come out with the others."

"We didn't," she said with a small nod.

"All right. We'll schedule a pick up. It's better for them to be safe and at our side, anyways," Alex grunted. Spike suddenly sat up and hissed with protection. _Someone else was in the room._ "And, whoever is in here, please come out before our little pet Hunter is given permission to pounce and tear into you. It can smell you no matter how much, or how little, body odor you have. And, the only one that I can recall that can cloak in a room is an interesting little hacker called Kasumi Goto."

"No sense in hiding, if you know I'm here," the hooded, slender Japanese woman sighed and revealed herself. She didn't want to risk herself getting attacked by Spike, either. Agatha sat up now, as her pregnancy wasn't too hindering, and regarded the master thief cautiously. "Yes, I know I was supposed to be with Shepard, but I had business here first."

"Planting bugs in our room?" Alex grounded out. Spike let out a seething growl, but it was Agatha that was already a step ahead. As Alex spoke with her, Agatha was letting her hair snake out in a rather soundless way. By the time Kasumi realized what happened, she was already getting dangled in the air. She was in complete shock.

"I am Agatha. I am known as Project Hera on my Earth. I am the Empress of the hive mind. And I can be the biggest bitch you've ever met. However, as you are allied with Shepard, I shall make an exception, if you prove that you are also an ally to me," she said with a small smirk.

"Please put Kasumi down. I can vouch for her," Garrus said when he walked in to nod. Agatha laughed softly and set down the stunned human gently on her feet.

"Garrus! What is going on here?!" Kasumi had to ask.

"You couldn't figure it out?" the turian asked.

"For once, I couldn't. I was hoping to sneak in here for more information. I mean…how can that thing there smell me? Me?!" she said and pointed at Spike. "Not even I can smell myself."

"Spike has enhanced sensory DNA implanted in it. Not only is it my mate's pet, but it's also our personal blood hound. Nothing can hide from it. So, I'm gonna ask only one question. You came here to find out more about what? Us?" Alex asked.

"In a way. I had watched what happened on the Normandy from afar. I watched through the live feeds and vids, but I couldn't really figure out what was exactly happening. So, if you want the truth, go to the source, right?" Kasumi seemed to shrug. "I'm good at stealing items. Very good. But…from what I've learned, you all don't just leave out items on purpose."

"Not unless we are setting up bait," Alex nodded. "I never thought of a lack of informational trail could do that. Thanks for the idea."

"Ah. Don't mention it, I guess," she shrugged.  
"Did you get your hands on some thresher steaks yet?" Garrus asked.

"What?" Kasumi blinked at him from under her hood. Then her jaw seemed to drop at the sight of several drones uncloaking behind her. "That is the most impressive cloaking I've seen yet!"

"And it's all instinctive. Thanks to me," Agatha nodded.

"Would it be possible to pass the trait to a human?" Kasumi asked.

"With a shot of my blood injected into you, it's quite possible. However, you would be locked to the hive mind. We'd know where you were, what you're thinking of…but you can also gain the man of your dreams. A lot of possibilities could open up for you," Agatha said softly.

"I took a shot of her blood. I'm actually having kids with her!" Garrus chuckled. Now Kasumi stared at him with surprise. "I can also eat other foods. It's…nice. Very nice. Robert, her other stud, does have the ability to cloak, but it's not something he can just do on a whim. It's only if the shit hits the fan. So, you could get the ability, but it would happen when it needs to. Not when you want to."

"Hmm. It…could be beneficial. Is it permanent?" Kasumi asked.

"Yes. It would be like signing a long-term contract," Alex nodded. "A life-time one, actually."

"I'll need to think about it. It's tempting. I mean…I already lost one man in my life that could have become my equal. Some bastard tortured him and took his grey box! The last of his memories. I want to get it back. I simply have to. Shepard was going to help me out. He did promise me," she said.

"Well, if Shepard does help you out, we can have drones ready to help you, too," Agatha said.

"You would do that?!" Kasumi asked.

"Well, for someone that broke into our apartment, got past the drones, but got found out by our pet Hunter…you do have potential. You tell us the location. We'll get John's ass moving in that direction. We'll have drones waiting. You get to the point that a fight's gonna break out. The drones will help take out the issue from there," Alex chuckled.

"You know, the man that killed him…his name is Donovan Hock. He lives on a rather beautiful planet, as he is a lover of beauty. I can set up for Shepard to get in. I can also do the same for you," Kasumi mused. Now Agatha had a keen interest.

"Well, we are looking for planets to inhabit…" Agatha mused aloud.

"And our kids will be scoping the place out…" Alex mused on the same thought path. "Deal. Yes, Agatha, I'll be with you in a suit…"

"Do it!" Agatha giggled.

"Oh, you'll need to offer something of value. He loves statues," Kasumi said.

"What about jewelry?" Agatha asked.

"I'm not sure. You send me what you have in mind, and I'll send the photos to his personal collector agency. If they think it's worth it, he'll have to agree. We need to be quick, though!" Kasumi said. "He's holding a party soon."

"I'll contact you. They reach through me now," Garrus said. "Or, if you give them a link to contact you, one of them can."

"Perfect! I look forward to working with you," Kasumi nodded.

"If you have any genetic parts of your former lover, we could clone him and bring him back. Or, with a shot of blood, I could give him back to you in another way. The choice is yours," Agatha nodded back. Kasumi would definitely have to think about that. For now, she just wanted her partner's grey box back. "I'll tell Shepard that you're including me in the plan."

"Of course! Ah…" Kasumi paused when Spike came over to her and leaned into her.

"Just scratch its shoulder. It likes that. It means it sees you as an ally," Agatha chuckled. "It may not really see, but all the other senses are there. Isn't that right, Mr. Fluffster?"

It seemed to purr in a happy way. Alex only growled, "The name is Spike!"

A snort was given in retaliation, and Kasumi found herself laughing with Agatha. She could only muse that breaking into this apartment could have been the best decision she's made all day.


	17. Chapter 17

It took a solid three days for Agatha to finally be allowed to leave the Citadel. And it had to be done in secret from the Council. Anderson knew, but even he agreed that it would be best for her to leave with Alex. They had over three hundred drones throughout the Citadel now to give information and monitor the populace for C-Sec. If a meeting with Agatha was required, it would have to be done by appointment. This was proven when she was seen moving to the Normandy on Spike's back.

"Hello! Do you have a moment to talk?" a human female in a business suit walked over with a hovering camera near her. "My name is Khalisah Al-Jilani, and I have some questions for you."

"No," Agatha said with an icy glare.

"I'm sure you can spare five minutes for your fellow humans," the reporter said and found herself pausing at the snickering that Agatha did.

"You think I'm human? Ah, does my voice not give it away that I'm clearly not? Besides, I only make time to talk when an appointment is scheduled. Please be on your way. I won't say this again," she warned. Spike gave a small growl, but Agatha gave a soothing pat to its back. Osiris wanted to intervene, but she rose her hand up elegantly to stop any others. Alex was immune to that, though.

"She's a fucking _Empress_ of her people, and you are treating her like common backwash!" Alex snarled at the reporter. "And, as her husband, I am not gonna tolerate this bullshit! Get the fuck out of my sight before I change my mind on letting you live!"

"She's royalty?" Khalisah asked. She completely ignored Alex's warning. She was used to threats. At the sight of Robert and John walking over, she quickly turned to them. John was able to come back for supplies for the Normandy and to pick up the viral family. "Commander Shepard! Surely you can answer a few questions for me about this…Empress?"

"Not now. I have an important mission to do. And, if the Council knew you were slandering royal guests, you will find yourself removed," John warned.

"Oh, come on! I'm sure you can spare ten minutes-" she started and let her jaw drop with horror when Alex unsheathed his claws and cut the floating camera down with a quick swipe. It fell to the ground and sputtered out its last blink before breaking apart into various pieces.

"There's your fucking story. How to fix a video camera within an hour. Bye," Alex glared at her and walked off with Agatha. John only clucked his tongue and shook his head at the whole thing.

"You need to learn when to back off and figure out your battles," Robert muttered to the shaken reporter. "You are out of your league. I'll have a few of my kids help repair your camera free of charge. And a word to the wise. If you see us here, make sure you're on the other side of the Citadel. Your camera was a warning shot. Understood?"

"Yes…" she said softly with a slow nod. Several drones were able to appear to start repairing the camera back to its flawless state, much to her shock and surprise.

 _:My Emperor, I have a few of my drones on the Citadel. Thanks for busting the camera. We'll fix it up properly. I can have them implant a few things into it for us now, too.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:Why do you think I did it? It gave me an excuse to break something. It felt good, too.:_ Alex chuckled back. Agatha was bursting with giggles when they finally reached the Normandy.

"Why did we have to hide again?" a male voice asked.

"Because we can't let you all be discovered just yet," Garrus was heard.

"But…Father! Ow!" the male voice cringed from the small flick to a nose.

"Trust me. If they saw you, there would be panic. Just give it time," Garrus said. Agatha smiled and looked at her sons and daughters with him. The males looked just like him, save that they had either her eyes or his eyes. Their fingers were four instead of three, and their feet were far more pronounced in shape with small, clawed toes. They even had a bit more of a nose. The males had shorter crests and mandibles, but their skin coloring was much paler in complexion. It gave them a silvery effect on their carapace skin. They were shorter, but they had much faster reflexes on all levels. Even their forms looked lithe, but they were a touch more massive from a turian as a cross-breed species.

The females looked a touch more human, but had the mandibled cheeks, too, yet not as pronounced. They had a set of lips, much to Garrus's surprise, and they all had Agatha's long, pale hair. The hair seemed to sprout under the short crests they had for an odd, waterfall effect. They even had a more pronounced chest and hip areas to show their voluptuous, viral figures. They seemed to give off an odd, mysterious beauty about them. And, when breeders were made, it was with a touch of surprise. They could make either human or turian type drones.

The drones for being human had Agatha's hair coloring, black eyes and looked like another sexless drone. They also had all the attacks the usual drones had. The drones for the turian side had black eyes, Garrus's full coloring and appearance, and seemed to have all of his skills for sniping and hunting. They also gained a few of Alex's viral tendencies with claws, hammers and the viral shielding. These drones would be able to mingle with any current crowd. Alex was quite impressed, and he could hear them, too. As long as his primary twins with Agatha were alive and well, it always bridged that gap.

"Khonsu, why must you try his patience?" Agatha asked when she appeared. The turian breeders had opted to go with the Egyptian names for now. Turians weren't very spiritual when it came to gods and goddesses. It seemed to be the best option.

"Well…Anit always has to tell me to be more open," the breeder started and got flicked on again. "Stop it! That really does hurt!"

"Then stop being an asshole," Garrus chuckled.

"Father, he's just acting like you do…" Anit said in her multi-toned voice. Then she gave a grin and a mock form of hiding when he looked at her.

"Now you know how I feel," Robert laughed softly.

"Mother!" a familiar voice was heard. Now Agatha looked over with surprise to see a stunning Japanese breeder beauty walking over with her bonded human male. "We arrived not long ago. Dana is here, too, with Hermes."

"Ah!" Agatha said with delight and got hugged tightly. "It is so good to see you, Amaterasu!"

"The very same!" she giggled. "Sakuma felt it would be nice to come up and see the sites, but you are all leaving? I mean…it would be shame to leave now and not see anything," Amaterasu frowned.

"True. I know there are still quite a few things that I haven't seen yet," Agatha sighed. Spike gave a nudge to Amaterasu for scratches and petting, and she was quick to give the Hunter the spot of attention it needed. Sakuma gave over a treat with a small chuckle.

"Amaterasu?" Robert frowned on seeing her, but he grinned at the hug she gave him next.

"We felt we could be of more use here. The others will still remain on Earth, but we needed to come up to help out," Sakuma smiled and neatened his suit. John now saw Amaterasu and had to pause at her beauty. She could easily rival her mother, but, as always, Agatha's beauty put everyone on alert.

"There is a place we can go to real quick," Garrus said when he walked over. "My kids would need to stay here, but there was one place we could always scope out. It's a place I went to before with Shepard. It was fun to snipe a few practice targets, too. I guess I can show you the place. If you want."

"As long as I go with you," Alex muttered. At the sight of Sigyn, Gaea, Tethys and Isis appearing, he only sighed. "Fine! Just…ugh. And my kids aren't coming with!"

"There's barely enough room in the car," Garrus chuckled. "and my kids need to stay, too."

"Aww," Khonsu sighed. At the sight of Spike turning to where Agatha was going after she moved off its back, Alex stopped it quickly. He couldn't have the Hunter come with them.

"Spike, you stay," Alex grunted at the Hunter. When it whined, he glared at it. "She'll be back. There is no room for you. Stay put."

"We'll play with you," Anit smiled and gestured to Spike. The Hunter was stubborn. It sat down and seemed to pout. It would wait for her.

"I'll be right back, Mr. Fluffster," Agatha chuckled and let a tendril of hair give a loving caress to it. "Wait thirty minutes. If I'm not back, come find me."

It gave out a long sigh, but it would agree for now. Alex just groaned, but he was also a touch relieved. _If she wasn't back by then, Spike would go hunting for her._

"Everyone in?" Garrus asked when they piled into the car.

"Yep! The others will wait at where you want to go," Sigyn smiled. "They can meet us."

"Drat! I forgot you all can read my mind now. Ah, well. Makes it easier to get there. They can go the long way," Garrus chuckled. The mates of the females would meet at the rendezvous point. Alex was with Agatha, though. He couldn't leave her behind. He did find it odd how she had insisted to wear a fuller dress, though. At the same time, she had assured him that it was to avoid any further confrontation. He still had doubts about that.

Garrus drove them up to a rather high part of the Citadel, and Sigyn recognized the area all too well from her dealings with Harkin. Agatha had yet to be here with the others, though. Hermanubis, Lelantos and Thanatos all waved at them. Osiris was next to show up, and he was rather impressed with the view. Agatha was now looking over the sight of cars speeding by them with a rather odd interest.

"It's amazing up here!" Amaterasu gasped with delight.

"Best not get caught by the local officials, eh?" Osiris chuckled and got hugged by Isis.

"Look how far down it is!" Sigyn chuckled. "I wonder if we can run down…"

"You think so?" Agatha asked with a wicked chuckle. Now Alex looked at her with shock when she simply dropped the dress she was wearing to reveal the micro bikini underneath. Garrus stared at her in complete shock. Alex seethed with challenge when the Kings and breeders stared at Agatha. Then the other females dropped their gowns to show off their own bikinis.

"You fucking planned this!" Alex snarled.

"I have to keep you on your toes, don't I?" Agatha crooned and blew him a kiss. "Now, my daughters, shall we race to the spaceship?"

"You are so dead," Hermanubis growled at Sigyn.

"Just gather up our clothes! We'll need them later!" Isis giggled at Osiris's look of complete disbelief. "See you in the ship, brother love!"

"Hera…" Alex hissed out in a harsh whisper. Agatha moved up to him to kiss him passionately.

"Catch me if you can, love!" she giggled and sprinted from his side.

"Stop!" Alex shouted, but she had already jumped off the side with her daughters. "Fucking bitch! Garrus, get back over to the Normandy! The rest of you, we have to stop them!"

"Right!" Garrus nodded and moved back to the car. When Alex jumped over the side with the others in tow, he saw how the females were working rhythmically to jump on cars, run down buildings, and work in a flawless form of teamwork. Agatha was quick to let her hair shoot out to support her daughters, if they started to fall behind. As much as it was a bit of a race, she wanted no one to get hurt. If anyone did catch a glimpse of them, it was incredibly fleeting from how fast they were moving. As much as Alex was pissed off about it, he had to admit that it was quite fun, too.

"You're a bitch!" Alex snarled when he finally managed to catch up with her. They were both running seamlessly down a building, and all she did was wink at him.

"And you love me for it," she crooned in his ear, as they ran. He heard her easily through the wind that whipped at them. They both jumped in perfect coordination and landed on the steel walkway of the shipyard. They left small craters there, and her sons and daughters soon left their marks, too.

"What the hell is…going…on…?!" a human worker stammered at the sight of the scantily clad females. When their mates walked over to them to growl possessively at him, and at each other, Alex had to speak out to calm them all down.

"They wanted a bit of fun before they left. My other kids will fix the floor. Go behind a crate and beat yer meat there," Alex snorted and escorted Agatha back to the Normandy. The comment got the girls laughing and giggling. The males would be on edge until they had a designated room.

"Are we finally ready to leave? Ah…wow…" Joker gaped at the sight of the nearly naked females walking past them. When he saw Agatha, though, he was completely speechless.

"I think we are. Make sure the kids are on board. And, I do hope that Garrus was able to bring our things. It would be a shame to leave them behind," Agatha chuckled. When Robert and John walked over, even they had to pause with their surprise.

"I'm fucking her first!" Alex growled at Robert, scooped up his mate in his arms and carried her to the room they claimed. Spike was waiting there and was quite relieved on sensing her. "Spike. Guard the door. Now."

It hissed and moved into a guarding position. Agatha could only laugh at Alex's advances, and she said, "Even you have to admit that it was fun."

"It was dangerous. It was stupid. You practically streaked across the Citadel with me chasing your pasty ass! Fuck. Yes, it was fun…" he rolled his eyes at her laughter. "Just don't do it again."

"The Citadel isn't the only place, you know," she grinned wickedly at him. That got him groaning with disbelief. Then she paused and said, "Hmm. It seems that John has a problem."

"What?" Alex frowned at her. Then he looked at the drone waiting near them. "Nick, go find out what's up. I'm too busy right now."

"Of course, my Liege," Nick nodded and walked out the door. Spike was given a small pat on the back to show everything was fine. Only drones were allowed in and out while the Hunter was guarding. The drone walked over to where John was brooding over the main chart layout of various systems. "It was said that you may have a problem?"

"I was commissioned by the Illusive Man to get to a station that's holding a rather…interesting recruit. A very powerful recruit. And, quite possibly, a touch unstable from where this one is being held. I'm honestly not sure what to make of it," John seemed to shrug.

"I thought you weren't working for the Illusive Man," Nick frowned.

"I'm not. I'm only doing this to see if I can get a valuable crew member. We need all the help we can get, you know? I'm still unsure as to what to expect in this place, but my gut tells me that something is going to go wrong," John sighed. Nick now thought and let Alex come through it.

"Agatha's pregnant again. Wait one day, and we'll go," the drone said. "Scout out other things for now, if you have to."

"True. I need more resources from the other planets around there. I'll do that," John agreed. Nick moved to start heading back to Agatha's room, but it got stopped by Garrus.

"Her clothes are back with her. Same with the others. And, what made her think she could pull a stunt like that?! My heart was in my throat!" Garrus scowled out.

"She's our Empress. She does what she likes," the drone shrugged.

"Damn. I'm not going to get that image of her out of my head!" he muttered out. That got Nick laughing softly. "Anyways, I have no idea what's going on next."

"Shepard said he needed some help with picking up a new recruit. After my Empress gives birth, we plan to go. Right now, we have a bit of downtime," Nick said.

"Good. I think I need it," Garrus chuckled. "I think I'll go see what the kids are up to."

"You can do that," the drone nodded and began to walk off again.

"Why haven't I been informed on what was going on?!" a sharp, female voice cut through the air.

"Miranda, I told you everything that I could. What more is there to expect?" John was heard now. "And, you were there with me when the Hunter came out of the ship."

"I know I was. I should have done something then, but I couldn't. It's my ass on the line, if something happens to you!" she scolded him. When the drone walked over, it noticed it was the same brunette that was standing with John when Spike first came on board. She wore a form of white, skin-tight armor with black embellishing marks, and she had a cold sensation to her features. The drone was completely unfazed, and Nick was quick to walk over to defend Shepard with Alex in control.

"Quit bitching," Nick growled and walked over. "He took a chance with us. You didn't get off your ass to say anything until now. You just sat and watched. So, this is partly your fault. If you were so anal and uptight about us being here, you should have said something when you had the chance. Yeah, you saved his ass and brought it back. But, he's not a project, and you know it. Don't start shitting all over his parade, because he chose to give us the same chance you gave him."

"The only reason I did, was because I trust Shepard's judgment. He helped me out with a few things, and I'm grateful for it. What you all are is just…you shouldn't exist!"

"And you're saying this now?" Nick asked with a touch of disgust.

"Stop it!" John finally said and rose up his hands. "Miranda, you have to admit that it did take until now for you to say something. It's usually not like you."

"I've been trying to divert the Illusive Man's curiosity about them. That's what I've been doing. I've remained on the ship to monitor other things, too. Even Taylor is rather confused about them!" she said. "I'm doing what I can with what means I have."

"Okay. So, you've been hiding us from the Illusive Man. Fine. I get it. Has he asked any questions about us yet in a direct way?" Nick asked.

"Well…he was hoping for DNA samples," she said.

"Not gonna happen. He'd get infected and turn into some kind of a walking corpse. Not sure about the aliens here, but that's what would happen by simple exposure to our blood. So…sure. Let him get a direct sample from us. We'll kill him off, if he becomes a threat," the drone smirked.

"It's not that simple. He's sort of like the Shadow Broker when it comes to finding him," John frowned. "When I meet with him, it's through hologram only."

"Fuck that!" Nick growled. "He's a fucking coward!"

"He's only protecting himself. He has so many resources that it's hard to know where he gets it all!" Miranda frowned. "He even hides information from me, too."

"So…he doesn't trust anyone but himself. Good thinking tactic," Nick mused. "I honestly don't think he should meet any of us, unless it's in person."

"Well, that won't happen, unless we hunt him down," John shrugged.

"You work on the missions. I'm already doing the hunting. If you show us any emails you get from him, we can start to trace them. We have our own intel," Nick said. "Anyways, do what needs to be done, Shepard. In a day, we'll help you scope out where your recruit is."

"Actually, let me give you a rundown of what I know about the pick-up location. It's supposed to be some kind of a holding center for fugitives. Our cargo's name is Jack. Not sure how Jack was picked up, but we have to go get this person," John said and pulled up the information.

"Male or female?" Nick asked.

"Right now, I don't know. I don't want to speculate," he said.

"Fine. Give us the coordinates, and drones will be sent there. We'll have the place on hidden lockdown. If our Empress wants to go there, well, we'll have no choice. We will have to secure the place. We're gonna send out around fifty drones to the place in question. The drones can hide out in space indefinitely. And, if this place takes in thugs, then we'll have one go in as a local prisoner with false files. We can easily rig that up. And…from what this information says…hmm. Kinda bleak. Ah. One of the drones was able to fill us in. This guy takes in thugs from other places for fees. He'll transfer them back, if such fees cannot be met. Interesting…" Nick mused.

"He sounds like a slaver with that bit," John growled.

"You know…such a thing could be beneficial to us," Nick grinned.

"You'd take over a base like that?!" Miranda asked with shock.

"We could. We'd take over the head guy in charge, if he pulls any shit. Then just…change the rules a little at a time. Nothing drastic. Just…slow modification over time. That's all," Nick shrugged. "If anyone questions us, they get taken over, too."

"Take them over? How? And wouldn't you be noticed?" she frowned.

"We gain all of the memories of the one we take in. You want an example? We can do a show and tell. Another batarian ship was captured just now. We'll save one of the men and bring him here to show you how we work. Would you like that?" Nick grinned.

"Well…I suppose that would work…" she said in a thoughtful way.

"Good! Do you have an interrogation room? We're bringing in someone now," Nick said. Now John stared at the drone with shock. At Miranda's look of surprise, it chuckled. "Okay. We'll just use the main docking area. Let's go."

"Are you sure about this?!" Miranda hissed out at John.

"Do you think I have a choice?" John countered. That made her go quiet. Nick only smirked and led them to the main docking area. Mordin was already there to pay close attention as to what was going to happen. He was just as curious as the others to see how the viral mind gained their information.

"What's going on?" a tall dark-skinned man asked.

"Taylor, we are going to witness what it's like to see them take over someone to spill their guts," John said. "And I doubt we can stop it."

"Wait, what?!" the man gaped. At the sight of the batarian being hauled in from the small transport vessel by two drones, there was only silence given now.

"What's happening?" Liara whispered.

"A demonstration of how they get their information," John muttered to her. Her eyes widened at this news. A lesser drone of Eddie walked forward now to study the batarian.

"What is your purpose here?" it asked.

"Never talk! Never!" the male hissed in his deeper voice.

"Why were you taking colonists?" it asked now.

"You're all lesser than the glorious batarian race!" he blinked his four eyes at them all. "We will prevail! We will rule over all! We will-!"

He got cut off when the drone lunged at him. Leeching tendrils of death plunged into the male and pulled the drone in to simply merged and overpower the batarian's DNA. The drone was quiet for a moment before it said, "There is a new slaving vessel being made. It is going to be faster and harder to track. We shall claim it for ourselves."

"We should get the technology!" Tali said from where she stood.

"Do not worry. Everything this one knew will be sent over," the new batarian drone nodded.

"So you know everything he does now?" Miranda said with awe.

"Yes. That is how we work. When we take over a new body, we learn all their secrets. All their memories. We gain it all," the drone said. "We can look and act like them as they were in life."

"Can you only imagine what they can do if they get the right people?" Garrus said.

"It's rather scary to think about," John admitted.

"And, what happened with him? Is he just…gone?" Liara asked.

"Yes. We claimed his flesh as our own. We took over his thoughts. He is now us," the drone said in a monotone way when it reverted back. "We take over armor, clothing, skin…all that they wear."

"So…what's with the blood? The drop of it?" Joker asked through the communications link.

"With blood, we can only see memories. We do not claim the body in full. And, we only see up to what was done to the precise moment the blood is taken," Nick said. "With our Empress's blood, you become a part of us. We don't fully take you over, but you become linked to us. We can kill you, if you betray us. And, if our Empress suffers, so will the rest of the hive mind. If she falls, we all do."

"Just like a bunch of ants. Kill the queen, and the rest will fall," Miranda murmured.

"And no one is touching this one," Garrus growled at her. "She gave me kids. It's more than I could ever say about it."

"What?" she blinked. Now she paused at the sight of the various breeders that appeared behind him. "How?!"

"I agreed to become her stud. Her second one. And no more are allowed," Garrus smirked.

"The hive mind promised to help me out," Kasumi said when she appeared next to Garrus. "I can't let anything touch them. So, Shepard, you'll get escorted in with Agatha and Alex."

"I think your mission just got easier," John grinned at her giggle.

"She's rather happy that he agreed to wear a suit," Kasumi laughed. That got Garrus barking out laughter with the others. Miranda and Taylor were still very divided about everything.

"You would think so," Nick grinned. "We'll send this one back to the batarian home world to check in and gather more intel for us."

"Good. Let me know if anything we need comes up," John nodded.

"Should have had them here when they found my Father," Taylor muttered.

"Oh? Ah. Yeah, I doubt he would have made it to a court system," Nick said from what it gleaned from John's memories. "Anyways, you tell us when you need us to appear for the recruit pick-up. We'll be ready for it."

"Glad to hear that. I'll talk to you in a bit," John nodded. "Liara, I need to scout for some resources. You have an idea?"

"I do! I'll send you what I have in mind," she said. "And I'm still checking for leads on the Shadow Broker. I'm very surprised that Hypnos was able to transfer all of my work to here. As much as I wanted to remain at my office, well…"

"If you give us a drop of blood, we'll be able to help you expand your search even further," Nick said. "The choice is yours."

"And you just gain my memories. Well…okay," she nodded and let a drone collect a drop.

"Hmm. Your knowledge on protheans is remarkable!" Nick commented. "And, because you live so long, you hold so much knowledge altogether. I have to wonder what it would be like to gain a drop of blood from one of your matriarchs. That would be something to think about!"

"Well…you could try," Liara chuckled. "I'm still much of a child compared to the others."

"As long as you keep a good head on your shoulders, then that's all that matters," Nick chuckled and walked back to where Agatha was. Liara was blushing softly at what it told her, but even she knew that Nick had made it perfectly clear that it was off limits. She was very curious if she could gain a special mate of her own. She thought she had Shepard, but he was gone for two years of her life. Her thoughts were muddled about it. She knew she'd have plenty to think about when they readied to go to the possibly hostile base to get their team member.


	18. Chapter 18

The floating station that held many of the hostile members of the universe suspected nothing at all. Over a hundred drones carefully infiltrated in to lock it down while cloaked. They had jettisoned in and killed the rockets to avoid detection to give them the last push they needed in weightless space to reach the floating station. The moment they landed in, a few guards were quickly taken over. Their suspicions were correct on what kind of place it was. Alex wanted the base for himself.

"I think it would be a nice, profitable solution for us," Alex mused aloud, as they approached the place. "If this guy already has a good thing going, then why would we want to stop it?"

"True," Garrus said. "But, these are hardened convicts, too. We don't know how they will be, if they were all released. And think on this. The head guy used to work for C-Sec. From what the kids found out, of course. He won't willingly give over his little money bin of a project freely."

"I'm well aware of that. Why do you think our kids are already settled in nice and easy?" Alex grinned a touch wickedly. Garrus could only chuckle at that bit. He looked over at where Agatha was sitting with Robert. They had waited until she had given birth to the drone eggs before approaching, of course. But, if she showed any bit of excitement of a new place, there were no emotions on her face at all. _She was getting ready for war._

"Are you all right?" Alex asked her.

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just expecting foul play. Like we always get when going into a new place," she seemed to shrug. "The moment it happens, there will be limbs torn from sockets."

"I can believe that," Robert smirked. Spike seemed like a lazy lapdog from where it lounged on the floor next to Agatha's feet. But, the moment they docked, it was upright and snarling from the unknown sounds it heard. It was all too eager to help shed blood.

"Hush now. Play nice," Agatha soothed and rose up to settle on its back. Then she got off of it with a frown. "Hmm. The saddle is off. Likely from too much wear. We need to fix it."

"Allow me," Nick said. Then it paused when Spike actually fixed it for her.

"How did you do that?!" Alex demanded. It pointed to where it felt where the usual connection was. Then it showed him how it fixed it. "Fuck. You are getting too smart for your own good."

"I like it. It shows it knows how to find me when the shit hits the fan," Agatha said with a small nod. "And, it can bring you to me, if you can't find me. You can just follow the carnage. Like how we do for you when you try to find me. It will work out."

 _:Fuck, Hera! The last time these things got too smart for their own good-:_

 _:Yes, those were killed off. This one is_ trained _to protect me. A very big difference there. And you know I would kill it personally, if it turned on me.:_ Agatha soothed gently. _:Zeus, you should know me better. Much better.:_

 _:I do, Hera. It's just…:_

 _:Who made the phone call?:_

 _:Bitch!:_ He growled and moved to stand by her to kiss her. He looked down at Spike and said, "I get it. You're smart. Don't do anything stupid."

Spike gave off a sensation of feeling insulted and nudged into Alex's side for a shoulder scratch. He rolled his eyes, but gave in to show a mutual form of trust. _Agatha was right when it came to the protective fierceness of the Hunter._ Garrus and Robert only glanced at each other and wisely stayed quiet. They weren't going to get in the way of this argument!

"We're here for the package, as agreed," Shepard said when he walked up to the guards in front of the station. At how they regarded him, Alex was already sensing something nasty. "And…you're with the Blue Suns? Interesting arrangement for the guards…"

"We proudly assist here, and we are paid well. That's all you need to know. Also, we need your weapons," the guard said. "It's part of our protocol."

"Ah, no. I keep my weapons. You want them? Take them," he growled.

"It's fine," a voice over the speakers said. "We have enough tech here that we can keep them under control. Go ahead and let them in…wait! Who's that?!"

"A member of my crew," John said calmly, as Alex walked out next. Twenty drones came out next, neatly cloaked, of course, and they got ready to surge in the moment they had the chance. And, as always, when Agatha appeared on Spike's back, there was a hush among the guards. She was decked out in her usual gown and finery, of course. And she was ready to put on a show.

"Not really crew members, actually," Agatha chuckled in her ethereal tone. "I am here with my mate, as you have just seen. I am riding a steed of sorts for transportation. It's part of my station, so I usually have no choice in it. As for me, I am here for a business proposition. I am an Empress of my people, and you can call me Agatha. I heard you take in…for the lack of a better term…certain recruits that do not fit well with society. I did hope to learn more to possibly partake in this venture. My race is rather new here. It would only be fitting to become familiar with such a refined form of business tactics. Would it not?"

"Ah…" the head man seemed to cough. _I can't discuss such a thing in front of Shepard!_ "We can discuss such a private matter in another place."

"I look forward to it. And, do remember this. I do see Commander Shepard as an ally. Please be tolerable of him. I plan to remain for no longer than he is, as he is my current ride around the galaxy," she said with a small, regal nod. Alex was dying with laughter in the link. In front of them, he had a straight face. _When she was cordial and pleasant like this, it meant she was gearing up to slaughter anyone that wasn't an ally or one of her kids._

The doors opened, and the small group walked inside. Agatha studied the turian in front of her and wondered why he had no markings on his face. His armor looked heavy enough for protection, but it also looked presentable for someone of a high ranking. He was dressed to impress and defend himself. She just saw him like a living crab with a shell that needed to be cracked open. When the turian gazed at her, she only smiled pleasantly. In reality, she was getting ready to rip him limb from limb out of spite.

"So, what is that…ah…steed?" the turian asked.

"I'll tell you, as soon as you tell me your name. I told you mine. It's only fair," she said softly.

"Quite true," he agreed. "You can call me Warden Kuril. This is my place of rest, and I am the one that founded this place."

"Thank you. The creature I'm riding on is called a Hunter. This one is tamed to protect me," she said. He was a touch surprised that she kept her word on explaining the nature of the beast. Spike only gave a low, dangerous growl. Alex mused that she didn't tell them that the Hunter was bulletproof.

"Some of these men in lockdown look…dirty," Alex muttered out.

"As convicts, they shouldn't have the right to have basic means. They got here. They can stay here. There's no other reason for them to have anything else," the Warden said. "Of course, if the ones that want them here can't pay for covering them, well, we'd have to ship them back."

"Right. Kinda shady to me, but, I'm here for my package. Where do I get it?" Shepard asked.

"Just head down the hall to the largest room at the end. Because of the nature of the package, we have to be careful. I'm sure you know why," the turian nodded.

"Alex, love, you should go with him," Agatha smiled.

"Why?" Alex mused.

"Because you boys need a good spot of alone time without the females. Now go!" she chuckled. "And, Warden Kuril, there's no need to worry about weapons with us. We don't have any."

 _:Physically.:_ Thanatos snickered darkly in the link. That got a round of sniggers going through it.

"I'm sure everything will be well," the turian nodded.

"Are you sure you're all right without us?" Robert had to ask now.

"Actually, I want you to wait on the ship," she said. "We don't know who will contact us, and you've met most of the ones that are important to us."

"Very true. Okay, I'll do that," Robert nodded.

"As for what you wished, we can discuss such things in my office. Ah, does that…steed need to be with you?" the Warden asked. Spike hissed with a protective wariness.

"You know what? Hmm. Spike, go with Alex, please," she crooned to it and hopped off its back.

"Agatha…" Alex said with a touch of worry.

 _:Love, there are fifteen drones around me right now. And, five of the ones that came with us are going with you. We have this whole fucking station on lockdown. Our main entourage is on standby to show a false sense of security. I have Nick with me. I'm ready to tear into anything that fucks with me. I'm fine.:_ "I can let Spike go with you. I have Nick with me. You know it is my escort. Come."

"Yes, my Empress," Nick nodded. The rest of her personal escort was on the ship, but they were preparing to infiltrate quickly the moment she gave word, as she told Alex in the link. Spike gave a small whine, but Agatha gave another croon to it to help calm it down. Reluctantly, it went with Alex.

"So, why did she split from us?" Garrus muttered out, as they walked down the hall.

"To prove a point. He thinks she's harmless. The next time we see him, he'll be splattered all over a wall," Alex smirked. The moment they were out of sight, the Warden looked at her in a rather appreciative way before gesturing for her to follow him. He had current plans to keep Shepard in lockdown, but, with this unique opportunity, he was quickly formulating a new plan.

"So…the one called Alex. You said he was your mate?" Kuril asked.

"Yes. He is the Emperor of my people," she smiled. "Nick is one of our drones. It doesn't need to eat, sleep or use any form of bathing facilities."

"Interesting! I'd love to have him as a guard," he said.

"Nick isn't a true male. Nick is an 'it' for that reason. However, we do offer new services for guards for a small fee," she chuckled. "It's a fast growing business."

"Interesting to know! I would definitely need to look into this," he chuckled. He led her to his main office that had all the camera feeds. A large, steel desk with wooden embellishments was there with a decent chair for her to sit in. On watching what various guards did to the prisoners in the cells, she wrinkled her nose. She already made plans to give the prisoners slightly better care.

"I have noticed that your prisoners seemed to have a lack of care," she frowned. "I was looking forward to seeing if I could look a bit closer at them. I did hear that you were able to sell them at times."

"Well, it's for a reason. You are correct that such a purchase may be made," he said. Then he reached out from under his desk and took up a gun to aim at her. "And I am sorry, my dear. I need Commander Shepard quite badly. And, with you here, I fear that you'll only get in the way. As much as I would have preferred a possible business transaction, I believe you are far more valuable as a prisoner, too. Although, I'm sure I could get a nice ransom for you, as your mate is here…"

"Is that so?" she chuckled and gave the mental nod for the drones to uncloak around her. Now he paused with shock as every fiber in his body screamed _DANGER!_ "I forgot to mention something about the drones. The drones are my children. My race isn't detected by thermal scans. I'm surprised you didn't notice that, by the way. They can also survive deep space without any life support at all, or require any form of space uniforms. It was how over a hundred of them are already in your base. And, now that you pulled a weapon on me, while I appeared to you peacefully, it gives me a reason to show you…that I do have a weapon. But, it's not what you expect."

"Ah…" the turian's jaw dropped when her hair came to life. He was too shocked from what he was witnessing and quickly found his weapon yanked from his hand. He now found himself suspended in the air and dangled about helplessly. The he was slammed into a wall and pinned there. He had no chance to warn the guards of the station. The drones were only there for show. He now realized that he horribly underestimated her, and that was the point she was making. She _was the one to be feared!_

Spike was already launching back to her side the moment it sensed that something went horribly wrong. And, the moment it launched out with a savage roar, Shepard saw first-hand the destruction a single, small Hunter could do within seconds. Bullets couldn't penetrate its tough hide. It was too fast to follow when it launched at the first Blue Suns mercenary to rip into the armor as though it was paper. Even worse was that Agatha was purposely letting Kuril watch his screens to show her children uncloaking and making short work of any guards on duty. She was simply livid at how she was treated.

"I am the Empress for a reason!" she seethed. "You thought that Alex was the one to watch over? You think my drones are a force to be reckoned with? Hah! You are truly pathetic! Let me show you how mistaken you truly are…"

"Wait! Please!" the turian begged and screamed at the feel of an arm getting tugged on savagely.

"I saw how you treat others here. It's rather difficult to react when you are on the short end of the stick, isn't it? And me? Captured for ransom? Sold into slavery? That's just adding insult to injury! I am going to enjoy the feeling of you getting torn apart!" she grinned wickedly. She was about to twist a tentacle of hair to rip out the first limb, but Spike charged into the door and broke it open effortlessly. It distracted her just enough to ease up a little. Alex walked in calmly to regard the helpless turian.

"Now, I'm going to ask this only once. Before my mate tears you apart. Where is the package known as Jack?" he asked carefully. "Now, think very hard about how you answer me. Remember who's about to get their balls ripped out and shoved up their own ass."

"There you are!" Garrus sighed with relief when he stormed in next. Now he studied the situation. "And I'm disappointed. I thought he'd be splattered all over the wall. You lied to me."

"I didn't lie," Alex growled at him. "Agatha decided not to mess up our new base."

"What?! This is _MY_ base! I'm not going to just hand it over and-!" Kuril started and got choked off from a tightening tentacle on his chest to constrict him.

"You insulted me with a gun in my face. You giving me this base is your way of apologizing to me," Agatha growled out. "So fuck you and your ideals, too."

"I like how you think," Alex grinned and kissed her. "And, I see you didn't kill him to have a familiar face working on the base, right?"

"Exactly my point," she smiled. "Why bother changing out what is already in place?"

"True. Oh, I have a couple of my kids here. They want to take him over to handle the base," Garrus said. "What do you think?"

"Oh? That would be beneficial," Agatha mused.

"Nah. We need a King and Queen here," Alex said.

"Trust me. My kids," Garrus retorted. Now they glared at each other.

"We can have both," she said gently to them. "Granted, a King and Queen will need to run this place. Garrus, your children can help maintain a better schedule for the prisoners."

"Oh, very well…" Garrus sighed.

"Good. We have an agreement. Although, there is something I did want to try," Agatha mused and sent her concern to the link. _:We need to evolve to withstand biotic implants. I have been thinking on this quite a bit. I'd like to have Liara, or any others that have biotics, to attempt to attack various drones. The more we are exposed to this form of attack shows we can evolve to withstand it.:_

 _:You are very correct, Mother! I'm sure Liara can help us, if we approach her with the question for research. Ragland is working with the biotic tech now to try and see if any of our drones could benefit from this unique ability. Biotic implants appear to be a necessary staple to get things done.:_ Hypnos said with enthusiasm.

 _:Can you imagine what Spike could do with biotic implants?:_ Agatha giggled.

 _:No.:_ Alex cut through to get them all snickering. _:Test the drones. If it works, we'll move on to the others that would have a form of decent respect on how to use the implants.:_

 _:You don't trust us?:_ Hermes moped in the link.

 _:I trust a blue-balled cock more than you.:_ Alex snorted. The laughter was almost deafening. He now turned his attention to the pinned Warden on the wall. "As for you, eh, yeah. We have new plans."

"Who is able to get here to take him over?" Agatha asked while Alex plastered the turian to a wall with viral tissues. She was able to retract her hair now to regard the others in full.

"Hmm. Perses and Styx. Styx is from Layla and Horus, if I recall. Her husband always has a certain knack for finding solutions. He'll be perfect here," Alex mused aloud. "It'll take them a day or two to reach us. Garrus, which ones do you choose to stick around?"

"Good question," he nodded and looked over at the few breeders that now walked into the room.

"We can stay," a breeder with Agatha's eyes and most of Garrus's looks said easily. "I'm Montu, and my sister is Maat. We both seemed to have inherited your love of keeping a tight ship of a schedule. This place will be easy to maintain."

"Good. I will want weekly reports," Garrus said.

"We know, Father," Maat chuckled and got a tight hug from him. She had his eyes, but the rest of her features closely resembled her mother. "We found Jack, too. The containment area, that is."

"Take us there," Agatha said with a small nod.

"My Emperor, can you let this sack of shit down? I can't really get a good lock on him. I mean, he looks nice as a wall hanging, but we have a use for him," Montu smirked at Kuril. Alex grinned, removed his viral tissues, and the turian was quickly detained by several drones. Blood was taken with a few syringes for study and cloning. Then Montu was quick to take him over. "What a rush! Anyways, I'll stay here with Maat to start learning the systems. We'll send all of our findings out."

"Perses will be here with Styx in a couple days. Clean the place up," Alex said and watched Agatha hop up onto Spike's back. Now it lumbered forward with her, and she was beaming that every soldier she saw was now a well-placed drone. She was also chuckling that many prisoners were going to be scheduled to get a carefully installed shower within their cells after a heavy sedative gas was put in the containment cells by rotation. The soaps would be administered in very careful, non-lethal doses on a specific timer. It would keep the prisoners from trying to commit suicide.

Garrus was pleased by the results that he started to receive on his Omni tool. Maat was quick to lead the group to where Jack was being contained. Drones were now in place and ready for a fight, if it happened. After the nod from Alex was given, Shepard was able to hit the controls to free Jack from the stasis lockdown. Alex was amused that Jack was a human female.

She was covered in tattoos, shaved bald, had baggy pants on with heavy boots and only seemed to wear a type of strap-like belt over her flat chest to cover herself with. She screamed when she pried off the restraints and lunged at the first guard she saw. She was used to seeing a body ripped apart in front of her from her powerful biotic attacks. Instead, the drone simply withstood the heavy attack and got shoved back a few feet. Biotic implants didn't seem to do too much damage, but that could change easily with continued assault. Even more was that she charged a lesser drone of Robin. The large drone was able to withstand the first attack, but, if it was attacked again, it could have caused a complication. This was what the hive mind needed to evolve for. Valuable information was already gleaned.

"Please stop attacking my children," Agatha said calmly. At the ethereal tone, Jack only glared.

"Fuck you!" she snapped.

"Really? I'm not interested, but I'm flattered!" Agatha chuckled. Jack didn't like how her threat was simply brushed off. It only pissed her off even more.

"I'll fuck you all up!" she snarled and prepared to lunge again.

"Actually, we're here to help you get off of this rock. We already took out the guards. It's just us now," Alex said. "And we don't wanna kill you. It's not worth our time."

"What?" Jack blinked. The attitude they were giving off completely baffled her. Her body glowed again to show she was ready to attack, but John stepped in.

"They helped me rescue you. I am here to rescue you. So, if you want to sit here and rot, continue what you're doing. If you don't, then listen to me carefully," he said.

"Why the fuck should I trust you?!" she growled.

"What other choice do you have?" Alex smirked. "My kids run this place now. You saw that you can't really hurt us. You just woke up from a small nap. You're a tough little bitch. I can tell. And who knows? My family likes to fuck things up all the time. We'll let you know if a match needs to get lit for a nice little explosion. I'm sure you'll like that. You appear to like death and destruction as much as we do. We can make it work, or you can sit there and continue to bitch like a baby."

She only seethed at her dilemma, but she knew she didn't want to stay. And, at the way even Shepard was giving a wary glance at Alex, it made her feel that something could be gained in her favor. Even Agatha gave off the vibe that she was more than she seemed from her jeweled finery. It was proven by the creature she was riding on. Spike gave the girl a sniff and growled. At this, Agatha tapped Spike on the top of the head with a clucking tongue. "Spike. No."

"Spike?" Jack smirked.

"I usually call him Mr. Fluffster to piss off my mate," Agatha chuckled at Alex's eye roll. "Anyways, let's go. This place is boring now."

"You mean, not being able to kill anything is boring to you?" Garrus chuckled.

"You watched my video of how I slaughtered over a hundred people within five minutes, right?" Agatha grinned wickedly. Garrus only laughed at that. "You know I can take care of myself."

"You fucking killed that many?" Jack asked. Then she paused at Agatha's hair coming to life.

"Yes. I did. I don't regret ripping every one of those fuckers apart, either. They called me a whore and insulted me. They paid the price," she said in a cold tone. "I don't like being treated like shit. I doubt anyone would. Hell, I came here peacefully and fucked up everyone that gave me an odd look."

"I could get to like you," Jack said. "Maybe."

"Oh, I'm sure we could become good acquaintances. I'm always up for causing mass mayhem when it counts," she chuckled now. At the sight of the Normandy through an airlock window, Jack paused with disgust. She clearly hated the small brand sign she saw on the spaceship.

"Fuck that! I'm not boarding a Cerberus vessel!" she snarled. "It was those bastards that did this to me and made me suffer!"

"Funny. We're hunting various parts of Cerberus. The ship is safe enough with us on it. You have my promise," Agatha said. Jack just shook her head.

"Then you can sit here and rot," Alex said in a blunt way, shrugged and walked off.

"He's an asshole," Agatha chuckled and shook her own head at that.

"Well, he is right. My ship is the only way off this station. And I need your help, too," John said calmly. "It's why I made the trip here to find you. I'll make sure that nothing happens to you."

"The only way I'll get on that fucking ship is if you give me any files that Cerberus has on me!" Jack demanded. Shepard nodded at that. Even Agatha thought it was a fair trade.

"I'll make sure of it," he said.

"And, if anyone gets on your nerves, you tell me, too," Agatha smiled. "You look like you've been through Hell and back. I may have had a slightly similar past as you. Maybe not as much torture, from how you look, but definitely been through a lot of shit."

"You swear an awful lot for being an Empress," Garrus grinned.

"I was a hard-ass soldier bitch first. And I was developed from Alex's DNA. Get used to it," she grinned back and let a tentacle of hair give him a loving squeeze. "Let's move out."

"As you command," the turian said. Jack only stared at the ship with indecision at first. Then she heard Agatha's heavy swearing at Alex when he tackled her to take her to their room just as she reached the main docking bay. As much as she was torn on joining the team, she knew she didn't want to hang out in the station. _As long as I get the files I want, I'll do what was asked. At least for now._


	19. Chapter 19

"This bitch isn't giving me my files!" Jack seethed at Miranda.

"They are classified!" Miranda scowled at her.

"Give her the files. Now. It's part of the agreement," John commanded.

"You heard that, princess? Give me what's mine! What Cerberus stole from me!" Jack growled.

"EDI, give Jack any files about herself. If the Illusive Man doesn't like it, then he can complain to me," John ordered. "I promised to give her any information about herself."

"The files will be delivered to her data pad," EDI confirmed. Jack flipped off Miranda right after that and stormed out of the room. The brunette just seemed to roll her eyes and shake her head.

"It was a deal I made to get her to join us. Just keep calm," John said.

"It really makes me wonder on what is going on around here anymore," Miranda sighed.

"You and me both," John sighed back and walked out to see what else needed to be done. He walked into the Medical Bay to see Ragland and Mordin working on a small mosquito that was encased in a glass tank. Samples of the toxin it gave out were carefully extracted. Ragland caught the insect with a set of sturdy tongs. Mordin was extracting the toxin. John waited until the delicate procedure was done. "How's everything going? Any luck?"

"Successful toxin extraction! I will be watching cellular growth closely. Will run tests with various simulation DNA cells. Quite fruitful!" Mordin grinned with an upwards blink of his eyes.

"A drone was able to send us this one from a colony attack. We had arrived just on the edge of it, so we couldn't warn right away. We couldn't help the colonists, either," Ragland sighed with regret. "I had volunteered to help out as a way to keep close to Agatha."

"That's fine. What do we know?" John asked.

"It seems to target the nervous system. Muscles lock up for paralysis rather instantly. Then these Collectors simply walk in and take what they need with no restraints. A very foolproof and rather neatly done kidnapping. Rather effective, too. Especially since the toxin only seems to affect humans. Other blood types only have a mild affliction, from what we can tell. It makes me a bit wary being around this little guy. I have no idea how the sting would affect me," Ragland admitted.

"Why do you think that?" John asked.

"I have Agatha's blood in my veins. It was needed to have Hariti as my wife. The drone had reported that its skin couldn't even be penetrated when it found this bug. Drones have a natural armor shielding, as you know. What Mordin and I hope to do is create a type of wearable resistance for you. If you can't be scented by these bugs, you can go in undetected. I have been toying with the idea of using a viral DNA armor base. Hypnos was testing it on steel, as though a viral coating was placed over it. If this form of viral skin is attacked, it can self-heal. It would be very effective!" Ragland said. Mordin was busy placing carefully engineered drops of solution in various petri dishes to see the cultured results. Any that showed a repelling resistance would be studied. The samples that succumbed to the toxin would be discarded for safety.

"Sounds good. Any little bit of an edge is what we need," John said gravely. "And viral ship armor for self-healing…sounds extremely…scary. But, do keep me informed."

"Understood! Working hard now. Come back later?" Mordin asked. John waved to them both and turned to check on the others.

"Commander!" Osiris said when he walked over. "I need to show you something."

"Where?" he asked.

"Can we get to the Omega system?" the breeder male grinned. John rose a brow, but he went to the star chart to get there. Once Osiris directed him to a set of coordinates, John was taken to an observation deck to look out the window. He was in shock.

The station he was looking at appeared to resemble a massive ship, but it was the space station that Hypnos was working on. Even more was that the ship looked alarmingly alive from the viral tissue coating being planted over it. It seemed to be developing feelers, tentacles and various other modifications, as the skin grew and evolved itself. At the sight of a few guns being attached to it, John could only whistle. _They looked heavily modified and quite capable of tearing through salarian armor plating._ Even worse was that the ship may even be able to rotate the guns manually like a human pointing a gun with the lift of an arm. The guns were also detachable just for that need.

It looked sleek, blue-black in coloring and appeared to be very swift when it was ready to move. It could have resembled a giant insect carapace of sorts, but that was only the exterior. Even now, as they watched the ship, the exterior was still changing shape. The interior would be something close to complete luxury by the time the drones were done outfitting it. Agatha was silently gazing out at it. She had a few mixed thoughts. Even as Alex whispered to her, she was clearly on edge.

"This isn't your DNA," Alex soothed and ran a hand over her back.

"I know. It's just…a similar situation," she shivered. "That's DNA that is going to be covering over us. Like a whole new fucking coat…"

"But it isn't. This is us giving over our DNA willingly. _Our DNA is alive, Hera!_ Our homes will fight back! It's not being spliced! Our home will be able to defend itself. Can you imagine the looks on any intruder's faces when they see our home pick up a gun and fire back?" he grinned wickedly. She just sighed and shook her head. "Yes, at first, I was a fucking skeptic, too. However, there are a lot good things here that will benefit us in the end. And just look at the guns being installed on it now!"

"Even you know the guns are all for show," she smirked.

"That's right. And, Hypnos found out something very interesting, too," he nuzzled her.

"Hmm?" she responded.

"The skin over the ship is sentient."

"What?"

"Yes, Hera! It's a part of the hive mind, because there's so much of it!" he snickered. "And it's not butchered, either! This is done with our children, Hera. It's not just you. It's from both of us."

"Well, when you put it like that," she said with a small smile and let him kiss her gently.

"We can control the ship by remote, with our DNA, or we can let it decide what to do. It's not an AI. It has a mind of its own that is linked to the hive mind," he said. "So, I want to know if you can hear it. I haven't been able to yet, but I think you should try first. Are you able to?"

"Hmm…" she frowned and focused in. Then she gasped with a touch of surprise.

 _:MY EMPRESS…:_ The ship responded to her thought. It recognized her. It sent out a complete feeling of love and trust to her. It saw her as its mother. She now saw the ship as one of her children. Alex gave over the feeling of acceptance now with complete approval. Even more was that the entire hive mind heard it speak to her. Now the ship was getting compliments, chatted to and treated just like another member of the family. It was going to become a main centerpiece for hive transportation, and it would carry the role with a form of pride.

"Why didn't I hear it before?!" she whispered out.

"Good question. I didn't hear it until it spoke to you, too," Alex said and thought to Hypnos. _:The ship is sentient and recognized your mother. Why wasn't it heard by her? Or by any of us?:_

 _:Ah! The ship was still being created. It was a bit unsure of how it would be perceived. Now that Mother recognized it and accepts it, it can be heard by all of us. It's fully cemented in now that you showed approval, too. And you will love this! It will evolve to work with various situations! I discovered this by accident when working with a piece of steel that I covered with my own viral DNA. The only thing that I discovered is that I can feel small things happen with small parts. The ship has sort of…become its own DNA source.:_ Hypnos tried to explain. _:Not only is it able to heal itself, but it will know where it's getting attacked. It can fight back with complete accuracy.:_

 _:You can feel yourself get hurt, if your projects are attacked?:_ Agatha frowned.

 _:Not quite. It's like a tingly sensation. No real pain at all. It could actually help me detect if someone is trying something as a form of an alarm.:_ The King said.

 _:Makes sense. I think.:_ Alex mused.

 _:I wonder if biotics can be integrated into the ship…:_ She mused out. That got Hypnos laughing hysterically at the idea. He now had to try it.

 _:MY EMPEROR, DO YOU WISH TO BOARD?:_ The ship asked Alex.

 _:Yes. Now do tell me. Do you have a name?:_ Alex asked.

 _:CALL ME OLYMPUS.:_ It said with a small chuckle.

 _:You laughed. This means you have emotions.:_ Alex said with a small grumble.

 _:YOU HAVE MY VOW. I WILL NEVER BETRAY THE FAMILY HIVE.:_ Olympus promised. _:ALLIES WILL BE TOLERATED. ENEMIES WILL BE DESTROYED WITHOUT MERCY.:_

 _:I would expect no less.:_ Agatha said softly.

 _:I SHALL PROTECT YOU AND THE FAMILY WITH ALL I HAVE.:_ It said in response. She was simply amazed at how loud the tone of the ship was.

"I'm still surprised at the voice of it!" Agatha said. "Then again, it is a ship."

"Yep!" Alex grinned and squeezed her.

"What did I miss?" John asked.

"See that ship? It's a station. My family is likely gonna live on it. And it's alive," Alex grinned at him. John found his jaw dropping. "We infused our DNA into the steel. The DNA coating you see on it has given it a form of life. That's how my viral mutation is. Fun stuff, eh?"

"How can it be alive?! Does it have organs? A brain?" he asked.

"That's not really how it works. Think of it like a drone. A large, massive drone," Agatha said in a thoughtful way. "Our drones don't need to eat, sleep or even breathe. They do have brain functionality, but it's mainly a link up to our hive mind. A giant server, if you want to think of it like that. Alex and I are the cores of the hive. The mainframe. If we go down, it could cripple us, but it won't kill us. If anything, it will just piss off the rest of the family."

"And, since the ship is alive, in a sense, we are going to see what biotic implants will do with it," Alex grinned. John cleared his throat at that idea.

"We could do the same thing with scout ships!" she beamed. Alex barked out laughter at that idea. "So, we're able to board Olympus?"

"Yes. It's waiting for us," he chuckled.

"Olympus?" John frowned.

"The ship named itself that," Alex said.

"Why?" he asked.

"I think it's because of what Alex and I were originally called. He was Project Zeus. I was Project Hera. So, if you recall ancient legend, they resided in a home on Mount Olympus. That's why the ship chose the name," Agatha chuckled. John found himself laughing a bit in agreement.

"I'm sure if other ships are made, they can call themselves other vessels of the gods. Perhaps," Alex said. "But, I do believe that Olympus has to rule the roost, so to speak."

"I'm sure it would," John said. "I have to wonder about the fire power on it now."

"I'm sure it will be impressive," Osiris chuckled.

"Dad!" Alya said when she trotted over. She had grown a good two feet since John last saw her, and he was quite amazed that her form had a few more feminine assets from Agatha's blood. Alex was quick to give her the hug she needed. "I miss seeing you!"

"I know. I've been busy. You know this," Alex said. Now she saw the ship, and her eyes widened at it with fascination. When it mentally spoke to her, she felt herself giddy with excitement.

"Are we going to see Olympus?!" she asked and jumped up and down with joy.

"That we are!" Alex grinned and poked her side to make her laugh.

"Commander! There's a massive ship out there!" Joker said through the comm links.

"Joker, say hello to the Olympus. That's Alex and Agatha's new space station," John said.

"WHAT?! Oh, man! Can we go see it?! Can we?" Joker asked. "I mean, that's if it's safe…"

"We can test the docking bay," Alex nodded. "and the ship is alive. So, don't call it any names. You treat it like a friend, and it will be nice right back."

"That is not possible," EDI responded.

"With us, nearly anything is possible," Agatha said with a soft laugh.

"Set a course to dock," John said.

"That thing looks larger than the Citadel!" Joker said before focusing on flying the Normandy.

"What is that?!" Liara gasped. Garrus and Tali were soon there to look at the massive ship station with a form of awe. Robert was soon walking over with Alex and Agatha's other kids. Orion was clearly regarding the ship as a little brother. Keid was very impressed with Olympus, and he was already in a deep conversation on how to evolve to improve stealth tactics. They even started to plan to make a special section to create a form of a zoo.

"Commander Shepard, the Illusive Man wishes to speak with you," Miranda said when she walked over. "I think he noticed this new ship, too. You know how he has the ability to get information as quickly as the Shadow Broker."

"Try to stall him," Alex growled.

"I'll do what I can," John nodded and left. None of them wanted the Illusive Man to attempt anything. At the sight of Miranda walking over to them, Agatha glanced at her.

"What ship is that?" she asked.

"Apparently, it's my new home. It is called Olympus. It is what it named itself. Yes, the ship is sentient. And it's also a space station," Agatha chuckled at Miranda's look of surprise. "My newest child, apparently. It wants us to come over and start living on it right away."

"Did that…just move…?!" Tali gasped at the sight of Olympus moving a large tentacle around a gun to adjust it to fit it better. Other tentacles were growing to help the drones build and work. It was a beautiful, symbiotic dance the ship did with the drones that helped build it now.

"Are my eyes deceiving me? Did I just see a large eye form?!" Garrus said when, sure enough, a large eye, a good ten feet around in a perfect circle, suddenly appeared to blink at them. It was solid black in color like the drones had, and it appeared to look like an ornament at the front of the ship. After another minute, several more eyes joined the larger one for full focus over various parts of its form. Nothing would approach it unseen.

Small, scale-like ridges now appeared in a wave to show they were lethal spikes that could jettison out in self-defense. The spikes were also tipped with cold steel from the ship that was used for scrap metal. It was able to be repurposed this way. The ship was slowly starting to look less like an insect and a touch more reptilian. It was almost snake-like at how it would propel itself through space. Gemma was giggling that it was starting to look like a dragon to her.

"It's changing its shape," Liara murmured with fascination.

"It's still evolving," Osiris chuckled. He felt Isis lean into him, as the living ship got closer. When John was seen again, he looked very livid.

"What happened?" Alex asked.

"He just learned about you all. I said you were valid members of my crew. If he sends a spy onto my ship, I will get extremely annoyed," John muttered.

"Good. I would, too," he smirked.

"He also learned about your new ship," John warned.

"Did he now?" Alex asked with a thoughtful look. "We are going to have to test something."

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"When we dock, you'll find out," Alex nodded and focused in on Olympus. _:You have been spotted. We need an evasive maneuver when we settle in.:_

 _:UNDERSTOOD, MY EMPEROR. WE SHALL DEPART WHEN YOU DOCK.:_ Olympus agreed.

 _:Where do we plan to go?:_ Agatha frowned.

 _:NOWHERE JUST YET. LET ME THINK. AH! I HAVE AN IDEA.:_ The ship sounded quite smug. _:I KNOW WHERE WE CAN GO!:_

 _:We can't go near the Citadel.:_ Alex warned.

 _:I AM AWARE OF THAT. WE WILL GO TO THE TYPHON SYSTEM. THE PLANET, AITE, IS IN ORBIT THERE. OUR EMPRESS WILL VISIT THE PLANET.:_ It said in a rather confident way.

 _:You can already travel the Mass Relays?!:_ Hypnos asked with shock.

 _:YES. SO, WE SHALL GO THERE.:_ Olympus said.

 _:It appears, Hypnos, that you are far more intelligent than you know.:_ Alex mused.

 _:Apparently so. I'm already on Olympus. Eir and I have settled in quite well. Of course, we reserved a very special chamber for you and Mother. Don't worry about that.:_ Hypnos said.

 _:I look forward to seeing it.:_ Agatha said warmly.

 _:Are humans and other species able to breathe on the station?:_ Alex asked with concern.

 _:I AM WELL EQUIPPED TO SUPPORT OTHER LIFE. AS LONG AS I HAVE THE PROPER SUSTENANCE AND MATERIALS, I CAN SELF-REPLICATE WHAT WE NEED.:_ Olympus assured her. That had them all in a state of shock. _The ship could recreate anything they needed with enough raw supplies._ This was going to turn the tide of any war. Materials will now be purchased and harvested wherever they went. It was a simple objective now.

"Where are we going?" Kasumi asked when she appeared. Then she saw the massive ship station looming ever closer. "What. Is. That?"

"My new home. A living, intelligent ship," Agatha said with a smile.

"And don't think about stealing any tech on it. The ship will know that you tried to steal," Alex smirked at her. "Of course, if you wanted to help us with defenses, you could attempt to do so for testing. The ship is still evolving. It's still learning. All we need to do is watch it mature."

"A living ship!" she breathed. "It's rather…odd to think about."

"And we are making protective armor that may be able to help shield you against the Collectors that much more," Agatha smiled. "We see you as our allies. We will do what we can for you."

"When did you want to hunt down the bastard that killed Keiji?" Kasumi asked.

"Keiji? Oh! Your partner? Hmm. That's a good question," Agatha mused.

"Let's get settled in first. We'll check out Aite after that. Then we'll take on your little mission," Alex nodded. At the sight of Jack walking over to see what the commotion was about, she simply stared with complete shock and horror at the ship they were coming to. "That's not Cerberus. That's the new home for my family. If you behave yourself, you can look around."

"Hmm…" Jack frowned and seemed deep in thought. "I think…maybe…you all can help me. I have something on my mind. And…I can't stop thinking about it."

"Sure. You tell us what's going on, and I'm sure we can help you out," Agatha nodded.

"We'll see. For now, well…" Jack muttered. "As long as no one fucks me over, I'll be okay."

"Stick to being our ally, and we'll fuck them up first before they try," Alex smirked. That got her nodding slightly in agreement. Tali was already planning to see how the ship's engine was going to function. Liara was simply fascinated with how the viral race evolved and adapted to everything around them. Several tendrils from the ship reached out and secured the smaller craft carefully to keep it from floating away the moment the Normandy docked with Olympus. Then the anti-gravity shielding activated, and the air stabilized to become breathable.

"This is incredible…" Tali whispered when she saw how the viral flesh had merged perfectly to the inner steel of the ship. "I would like to take a look at the main engine core. If that's possible…"

"As long as you don't sabotage anything, I'm sure that will be possible," Osiris nodded.

"Agatha and I are going to our new room. We'll meet up in an hour," Alex said. When Garrus was about to object, Khonsu asked if he would like to see how the guns worked. That neatly took over the turian's mind, and he was quick to head off to oversee any gun calibrations. The other crew members were offered small jobs that would work with their expertise. Even Mordin was given the offer to assist with the new Medical Bay to ensure everything was well-stocked.

"This is our bedroom?!" Agatha gaped at the sheer splendor of the room. Marble floors, rich rugs and a massive canopy poster bed was on display. The bathing room was set up with all the usual needs, too, and just as richly done with sparkling gem inlays all over the counters and seating. Alex was just incredibly amused at the gold-plated toilet. The hive went all out to ensure they had the most wealth.

 _:MY EMPRESS, OTHER ROOMS ARE SET UP, BUT YOURS IS THE MOST GUARDED. I WILL ENSURE THAT NOTHING COMES TO HARM YOU.:_ Olympus vowed. Alex looked over and was quite amused that there was even a small area for Spike to settle in. The elite drone escort was already moving about the room as though they had never left it. _This was going to be their new home, as they moved throughout the galaxy._

"What do we do about the station part?" she asked.

 _:THERE WILL BE DESIGNATED LIVING QUARTERS, ENTERTAINMENT AREAS AND DOCKING BAYS. I SHALL ASSIST WITH MONITORING ALL THAT COME TO ME IN A NEUTRAL ATMOSPHERE.:_ Olympus explained. _:PERMANENT LIVING CHAMBERS WILL BE SET UP FOR THOSE THAT WISH TO LIVE WITH US.:_

"Good to know," Alex nodded. Then he looked over when several nursery tentacles appeared. The ship was able to make them effortlessly. "You are very impressive."

 _:I AM HONORED, MY EMPEROR.:_ Olympus said in a humble way. _:PLEASE BE SEATED. WE ARE GOING TO MOVE TO THE MASS RELAY FOR A WARP JUMP.:_

"That's our queue," Agatha smiled. Alex lifted her up to settle her in the large bed. Once they were secured, they felt the ship start to move. "This feels very different! The Normandy had a much better movement through space."

 _:I SHALL EVOLVE TO MATCH THE NORMANDY'S MOVEMENTS. ALLOW ME SOME TIME?:_

"That's fine. Evolve the best way you can," Alex nodded.

 _:AND, MY EMPEROR, IF YOU COULD ASSIST IN GIVING ME MORE MASS, IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED.:_ Olympus said in a gentle way.

"Why my DNA skin?" Alex asked.

 _:YOU ARE THE STRONGEST OF OUR HIVE MIND. YOUR DNA MASS WILL BOLSTER ME IN FULL. I AM NOT SURE IF MY EMPRESS CAN DO THE SAME.:_

"Well, if Alex and I both do it together, it may be possible," she smiled. "Let's go through the Mass Relay first. Then we shall tend to you."

 _:AGREED!:_ Olympus said and took them through the Relay without further delay.


	20. Chapter 20

Olympus soon appeared in the Typhon system to move towards the planet of Aite in a slow, graceful way. The movements were almost whale-like to match the thruster systems, as it propelled itself. Hypnos was at the helm to ensure that the ship was moving steadily. He could have had a drone do it, but he wanted to make sure that the first jump and flight went flawlessly. So far, he was incredibly impressed with Olympus as a whole. Joker had found his way to the helm, and now he had to ask a few of the more intricate questions in the best way possible. Blunt and to the point.

"So, you're telling me that, right now, this ship is alive?" Joker asked him.

"That's right!" Hypnos chuckled.

"What does it eat? Can it take a shit? I mean…" Joker started, and Hypnos started laughing. "Also, how can it talk to us? I know it can talk to you, but what about the rest of us?"

"You know, those are some pretty good questions. I think a drone can be stationed around to talk for Olympus. I'll do that now," Hypnos said and thought to the link. Several large, lesser drones of Robin would now be stationed to be the voice of Olympus. Other drones could be used, but the larger drones would be much easier to recognize. They would also wear something to show that they could be approached to ask the ship various questions. At the sight of the large drone walking in, they all turned to regard it. It now found a place stand near the main helm.

"I shall speak for Olympus," the large drone said. A moment later, its tone changed completely to be a bit deeper and more enthusiastic. "Greetings, human! I understand you have some questions for me? Ah! I have been informed of what you have asked so far. When it comes to defecating, there is no need. To me, to do such a thing is a waste of valuable resources. Everything gets repurposed. As for consumption, raw materials are the best. Much like how you prefer to eat unrefined nutrition for the best effects on your body, the same could be said for myself."

"You know, it could be kinda funny if you made yourself an asshole. Not in the mental way, but, if you got boarded from behind, you could simply blow them out your ass…" Joker started. At this statement, the drone began to laugh. Hypnos was amused that the ship had a sense of humor.

"I could evolve a chamber for toxic gas as a last minute emergency attack," Olympus mused. "Hypnos, do you think such a thing would be feasible?"

"You could do so. Methane gases would be able to be created rather easily, if you process the right proteins. Even certain minerals like sulfur could produce the same effects," Hypnos chuckled.

"If you really wanted to go above and beyond, you could light it on fire, too," Joker suggested. That got them all laughing even more. As they continued to converse, Liara had found herself in the entertainment section of the station. It was a large, massive chamber, much like the belly of the ship, itself, and she saw various arcades and gaming stations being set up in smaller buildings. At the sight of a large tower being built with a drop-off being constructed, she found herself completely in shock.

"Liara!" Thanatos said when he walked over with Tethys. "I was just about to see how you were holding up. What do you think of Olympus?"

"It's the most amazing thing I have ever seen! To see it built before my eyes is something I never would have ever imagined!" she admitted. "But…what is that building?"

"It's for bungee jumping," the King grinned. "Some people like a complete rush of falling to their deaths before getting suddenly yanked back up out of harm's way. We call them 'thrill seekers'."

"I don't see what's so thrilling to fall to your death!" she paled.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Tethys giggled. "Besides, we're going to have to pick up the first one to test this. You remember Harkin?"

"You mean…that one human from C-Sec? He agreed to do this?" Liara blinked.

"'Agree' isn't the true word to use," Thanatos smirked. That got the asari biting back a smile. "The asshole had it coming."

"Good!" Liara grinned. "I wonder if other criminals would benefit from such a treatment."

"Now that would be an awesome idea," Tethys beamed at her.

"What do you think I can do now?" Liara asked.

"Are you good at puzzle games?" Thanatos asked. "We have some arcade games that could use a good tester. Don't worry, though! We'll pull you out of them, if you start to get sucked in."

"What's this?" Liara blinked and got led to a main building on her current ground floor. The building looked like a decent structure, save that it was metal with blue-black bio-flesh holding it all together. She was now taken to where an intricate game with a simple set of controls was. The graphics of the game looked rather flashy and easily caught her eye.

"This is called a hidden object puzzle," Tethys explained. "The main drive is to find all the items on the list below on the screen before you. After that, you can use certain items you find to advance in the story. What we want to do is charge for extended time. One credit can give you ten minutes of play time. Add more credits, and you can eventually beat the story and enter your high score. We have other games based on fighting, adventure modules and even racing. We wanted you to help us test them."

"Oh! Well…I suppose I could…" Liara said.

"We'll give you unlimited play access for now just to test the games. We'll give you an hour to see how you are. If two hours pass, we'll nudge you," Thanatos said. "We'll be testing other games, too, so we won't be far if you report a problem."

"So…play for credits? Like gambling?" Liara asked.

"When it comes to these types of games, there is no gambling. You're just paying for more time to play the game. You don't get anything back, but I suppose we could do something for small prizes for other machines. Like the claw machines that people find so popular. And, if we make more than enough for our own funding, we will even donate to various organizations. We are also going to make our main drone security recruitment here. That will be done alongside where the dancing club will be. So, yes, there will be plenty of other races living with us," Tethys explained.

"Would you even accept refugees when the war hits?" she asked.

"Good question. We may be able to take in quite a few, but the able-bodied ones won't be getting a free ride. We'll need to have them working on something. I'm sure we can, if we base each civilian on their skills," Thanatos said. This information was already being gleaned, and a new section of Olympus would be constructed for temporary housing with needed Medical Bays in those sections. Garrus was already overseeing this part of the ship, and he was in awe at how the steel simply shifted and moved to assist the drones in construction. He was going over various modifications with Osiris, and he was already showing his complete concern.

"This isn't enough, is it?" Garrus sighed. "For building materials, that is."

"Not really. We will definitely need more," Osiris said. "Granted, Olympus can create more bio-mass with us, but, when it comes to steel and electronic parts, we need to look elsewhere. I have heard that the Omega Four relay is a place that no ship has ever returned from. It does make me wonder if such a thing can be done. If ships are there in mass numbers…"

"I'd wait on that. There are plenty of volus out there that sell basic ships for scrap. No one has come back from that relay for a reason. And, until we know what that reason is, I don't want Agatha to come to harm," Garrus said. "Now, if you send other drones out there to scout, then I can't really stop you. As for used ships, I was thinking about where we could go to get more for spare parts. The quarians do need the ships they have, since they have nowhere else to go, but I'm sure we can find quite a few ships. I did have a question, though."

"And what's that?" Osiris asked.

"If this ship is alive, couldn't it just make its own set of ships?"

"Funny you asked that! Come with me," Osiris nudged him and gestured to a waiting platform. It was held aloft by a rather large tentacle from the ship for quick transportation. Olympus would only do this form of personalized escort for valued family members. Garrus was Agatha's new stud and clearly valuable. Osiris has always worked with Alex, and he was pretty high up on the family ranking, too. Any true family member would get such treatment, but these two needed strict supervision to ensure complete safety at all times.

"Where are we going?" Garrus asked and watched various sections of the ship simply open up to take them to where they had to go. When the platform stopped, a lesser version of Robin was waiting for them. Osiris waved and prepared to follow the drone. He was informed of how the ship was talking to them, and he thought it was a superb idea.

"I am Olympus and will speak through these drones in various areas. I understand you have questions about growth?" it asked. "Please tell me your concerns."

"Not really. I mean…how would you keep yourself from getting too big?" the turian asked.

"I have been thinking on that quite a bit. Have you heard of a parasite called a tape worm?" Olympus asked. Osiris knew what it was, but Garrus seemed to shrug. "The parasite grows inside the stomach and intestinal track of a human. Instead of getting larger, as it feeds, it gets longer. When it gets to a certain length, it can break off into segments. These segments can become a whole new worm. I may be able to branch off that way. As I evolve and get longer, I will be able to segment myself off into smaller portions. I shall remain as the largest one. The others will be there to become the fleet. If I gain enough materials and mass in a short amount of time, this can be done rather swiftly."

"That's…frightening…" Garrus admitted. The drone simply grinned slightly. "I did have another question for you."

"And that is?" Olympus asked.

"How do you plan to help with resources on the ground? When it comes to gathering them, or even assisting us if we need to travel on foot with questionable terrain?" he asked. Now Osiris's interest was caught. At this question asked, a whole new room was visible. Hypnos was definitely busy, and Hedeyasu was sitting in the room while going over some culture dishes. At the sight of them, though, he was able to hand the work off to a drone before approaching them.

"You're here?!" Osiris asked with surprise at the Japanese scientist.

"That I am!" Hedeyasu chuckled and walked over to shake hands with him. "Asuna is busy working on our new quarters, too. We were retrieved not long ago. I am helping with some genetic enhancements. Ah! You must be Agatha's new stud? Impressive! I'd gladly talk more, but I have a bit of work to do."

"What are you working on?" Garrus asked.

"A form of quick ground transportation. Now that we know that Olympus is a bit of a hybrid crossbreed of a form of cybernetic prototype, I was thinking of a type of ground model based on a Hunter. Where a Hunter can traverse nearly any kind of terrain easily, I thought it would be beneficial to create a land vehicle based on a Hunter's limbs and movements. Maybe the same attack methods! I also know there are new flying creatures that could be incorporated for short flights, too," the scientist explained. "We can even incorporate the movements of underground travel with thresher material. It would be relatively simple to do once we have the proper DNA sequencing and merging."

"Wow…" Garrus found himself blinking at all of it. Osiris put a brotherly hand on his shoulder.

"Too much to take in?" Osiris smiled.

"I'm just amazed at how fast we're going to roll over everything, if all of this works out!" the turian said to get both of them laughing. "Also, if Agatha is going to be living here, then why infiltrate a planet? Is it just to let her be able to have her feet on the ground again?"

"Our Empress is always attracted to various things of beauty. Especially if it's through nature. This planet, Aite, has such wonders. We shall locate the best areas and decide where stable housing can be constructed. We want her to have a full view of the best area, and, when she's calm, all is well. The hive needs a planet to call home. Other planets will be claimed, but this planet will be _the_ primary planet that will house all of our main secrets. The original Earth we have come from will be habited, of course, but, for a proper planet out here in your familiar system, we will have Aite," Olympus explained.

"Well…I suppose that makes sense. But, what would you do about resources? If you're alive, you would have to eat something. Wouldn't you?" Garrus asked.

"Joker has also brought this up," Olympus agreed. "Heavy ores would be key. Even salvaged ships would be required. I have been thinking of moving to where a nearby asteroid field was to see if any of those could be eaten. If they can, then it may speed up my process. Joker also suggested a way for me to make a rectum to give a false sense of entry only for the intruders to be expelled out with a quick expulsion consisting of high pressure gasses. Maybe an explosion to go with it."

"You would fart out the enemy?!" Osiris said before busting up into laughter at the idea. Garrus was now shivering from the laughter he was giving out and hiding his face in his hand.

"A false sense of security for the enemy?" Olympus prodded to get them laughing even more.

"What's going on with Agatha?" Garrus asked now.

"Our Empress is resting with our Emperor. She is heavy with new developing offspring. Our hive drones are on Aite right now and creating a new place of residence," it said.

"I wonder. Can you send a part of yourself down to help them? I only ask this, because, well, if you are truly sentient, couldn't you let them communicate to you from there, too?" Garrus asked in thought. Olympus now thought about it rather intensely.

"I am not sure if I am evolved enough for it…" it said with a frown. "I could use the drones, as I am here, but to make a physical structure…"

"Hypnos would like to test a few things with you," Osiris chuckled.

"Very well. I look forward to it," it nodded. Now with them making plans to improve on Olympus's evolution, another drone found Jack poking around in a lower deck. The drone that Olympus chose was a lesser version of Nick to neatly get into a crawl space that she found herself in. She was simply fascinated by what she was seeing, and Olympus decided to check in on her. "Can I help you?"

"Gah!" she jumped. "Fuck! Don't spook me like that!"

"My apologies. This drone is speaking for me, the ship. Yes, I can control any drone that lives within my interior. What are you searching for?"

"Why should I fucking tell you?" she frowned.

"Because you are inside me."

"That…sounds kinda gross…" she grimaced.

"But, it is all truth. So, I will ask again. What are you searching for?"

"I dunno, really. Maybe a way to hack into you."

"You cannot hack into me. I am not electrical. I am a form of bio-mass. Much like you. I am a near-complete organic."

"Near-complete? Sounds like hackable to me."

"I am also a virus. I can infect you and turn your DNA into something completely unnatural."

"What?!" she blinked.

"You recall the Hunter that our Empress rides on for travel?"

"Your empress. Not mine," she muttered.

"Of course. But, you do recall it?"

"What the fuck of it?"

"That is what our virus can do to you."

"EW!" she cringed.

"Indeed," the drone nodded. "But, if I may ask a slightly personal question…?"

"Depends on the fucking question," she said and regarded the drone warily.

"You appear to have had a stressful past. Far more than any human I have witnessed thus far."

"The fuck do you know? And how the fuck would you know about this if you were just made?"

"The hive link is extreme. All of the memories gleaned from those we take over and assist are stored and kept safe. I may have just been created, but I am rather old from the memories I can see."

"I don't get what the fuck you want from me then."

"My family wants to help you get revenge."

"Revenge?" she asked with a hint of amusement.

"Yes. Whoever harmed you, we want to catch them for you."

"Heh! You'd have a pretty fucking long list!" she grinned.

"With a drop of your blood, we will know who to find and bring to you discreetly."

"Why the fuck do you want to help me like this?" she frowned.

"You are impressive. You have battle schematics, courage and a sense of direction in various places of warfare. You know how to survive. We admire that."

"Surviving is all I've ever fucking done. I knew I was on my own even after I escaped the place that tortured the fuck out of me. I mean, fuck, the first ship that picked me up from the derelict frigate I hopped on…" she muttered, as rage threatened to consume her. "The fucking guys on that freighter…"

"What did they do?" Olympus asked in a very careful way.

"They used me…" she shivered. At this, the information was sent out. Agatha was now alerted.

"Our Empress wishes to see you. If there is one thing she detests it is how others are abused for no reason. It almost happened to her. Luckily, our Emperor intervened and slaughtered the one that tried to use her. We, of the hive mind, always find ways to avenge those that were wronged. We will happily assist you in gaining your ultimate revenge," Olympus said in a serious way. "Will you accept our help?"

"To gain revenge on every motherfucker that ever hurt me…" she seemed to whisper out in a form of a haze. "It seems too fucking good to be true."

"Come. Speak with our Empress. We shall fulfill our promise, should you wish to request it," Olympus nodded. Jack now stared with disbelief at how several wall panels simply shifted aside to give her a clear path to an elevator shaft. When she didn't move, she realized that the panel was moving her to the elevator. "You will come to no harm. I will ensure you reach our Empress safely."

"I don't fucking get it," she muttered. "I'm just gonna be hurt again…"

"You will not," Olympus vowed. The drone was moving with her to keep the conversation going. For some odd, crazy reason she found herself believing the drone. _Something_ can _happen for me._ _Things will finally get resolved at long last._

"Okay. I'll talk to her," Jack said. Olympus only nodded and let her board the elevator. When the drone joined her, she asked, "Why the fuck are you still here?"

"How else will you get to talk to me?" Olympus asked evenly. She could only nod at that, but she was transported quickly to Agatha's luxurious chambers. When she walked in, she paused at the complete display of wealth that assaulted her. Then her eyes moved to the massive bed that the pale vision of beauty and death was reclining on.

"Jack," Agatha smiled softly. She was in the fast stage of her pregnancy now, but that didn't stop her from sitting up to fully regard her. "If you give us one drop of blood, we'll have every bastard that ever did you wrong lined up and waiting for you to rip off their heads. Or their arms. Or even their dicks. Whatever torture you want to give them, I'll ensure it gets done. No one would ever have to know."

"We just need a drop of blood from you. You have memories with faces. That drop of blood will give us all the intel we need. You want this done? We can help you get it done," Alex nodded slightly from where he sat close to the bed.

"I also want to fuck up the place that kept me captive and did this shit to me!" Jack growled.

"Give over the blood drop, and we'll see to it," Alex said.

"I won't have to do any return favors?" Jack asked.

"No," Agatha said regally. "If you haven't noticed, my family enjoys doing things like this. It's why we haven't joined up with the Alliance in full."

"You know," Jack mused at that. "a ship like this is gonna need resources."

"Always," Olympus nodded from the drone that was still there.

"What do you have in mind?" Nick asked from where it was standing.

"There's a lot of fucking space that's not patrolled by the Alliance. Pirating happens all the time out there," Jack grinned wickedly. "Who can fucking tell on you, if there aren't any laws to protect them, right?"

"Yeah. We need a drop of your blood," Alex snickered. "We're all for fucking up a few pirates and stealing what they have to be used for another purpose."

"If you find a big fucking haul, I wouldn't mind getting a piece of it," Jack said.

"We can arrange something," Agatha chuckled. "but first…"

"Yeah, yeah. Fuck it. I guess I can give it over. Fine," Jack said. Nick walked over to collect the drop quickly and painlessly.

"So…this base you were caught in…" Agatha mused over the memories sent to her. "What do you want to do it?"

"Blow it off the fucking planet!" Jack spat out. "The largest fucking bomb that's out there needs to be in that fucking room that I was locked up in! I wanna be the one to push the fucking trigger, and I want to watch it fucking explode! I have to see that fucking place gone. It's the only part of my history that I don't want around anymore. Once that's gone, I should be able to move on."

"We can tell John about this, too. I'm sure he'll want to help you out," Agatha said. "Also, as a little extra bonus…"

"What?" Jack mumbled out.

"We could put a few of the fuckers that messed with you in there. Lock them away with the bomb…" she grinned wickedly. That got Jack snickering with complete amusement.

"Of course, not in the same room with the bomb. We don't want them to learn how to stop it," Alex said. Now he focused in on the link to regard the hive mind. _:Get a lock on her old home. Find it. Clean it out. Now. And make sure to add a few…guests.:_

 _:Oh, yes, my Emperor!:_ Hermanubis cackled with glee.

 _:Mother, may I ask a request of you?:_ Eros asked.

 _:Of course, my son. What do you wish to ask?:_ She said gently.

 _:I was looking into this Donovan fellow. For Kasumi. He has a rather intense vault that I would gladly claim for my own and add to it. And I like his house, too. Can I have it when he's dead?:_ Eros chuckled darkly. The glowing sensation of approval granted to him next was given.

 _:Make sure someone takes over your base when you leave.:_ Alex said.

 _:I understand. I know a few that wouldn't mind living in Italy. I kept the base rather tasteful. I'm sure they wouldn't want to change it up too much.:_ Eros replied.

 _:Just bring over what you want to add to the new house.:_ Agatha giggled softly. At how Jack seemed to look troubled, Agatha frowned at her. "What's wrong?"

"Just a lot of thoughts. Most of the time, I'd lose myself in drugs or sex. Or killing someone. This is just…I dunno…" she admitted. At the sight of Robin wheeling over a table and opening up a box of puzzle pieces, she paused. "What the fuck is this?"

"One of my puzzles," Agatha grinned softly. "When I start getting moody and annoyed, I put one of these together. Try it out."

"I don't have the patience," Jack grunted. Then she saw how two pieces were already set to fit together. On picking them up and setting them aside, she found herself going for another piece. She was soon sorting through the pieces rather neatly. "I have no fucking idea why I'm doing this, but…hmm…"

"And this piece goes here," Robin said before getting a hand slapped away when it tried to help.

"My fucking puzzle! Go find your own!" Jack snapped to get Agatha barking out laughter. Another puzzle was brought for Agatha to do, and Olympus directed its attention to the main engine room. The main engine was now completely encompassed with heavy tissue mass, and it almost resembled a heart, but it wasn't beating. It was simply the way it was done in design by Olympus. If the engine failed, it would have severe issues just like any other ship. The heart was the primary organ in any major body to assist with functionality. It would also become the most protected part of the ship, just alongside the royal bedroom chamber.

"Tali'Zorah?" a lesser drone of Robin approached her.

"Oh! You startled me!" she said and shook her head with a small chuckle. "I was just studying the engine room. It's amazing! To see how organic and synthetic material can bond so effortlessly is just…I cannot believe that I'm looking at this. And, ah, who are you?"

"I am Olympus. I am using this drone to speak through. Various drones will be able to be my voice, so that I can be heard by those that cannot hear me through the link," the drone nodded.

"Wow…" Tali said before shaking herself out of her stupor. "Ah, yes. Well, I was very surprised at all of this! I don't know if the Geth would be something you would know of."

"From your drop of blood, we do know of the Geth," Olympus nodded. "They are fully synthetic beings. I am a mix of both. Many could say that I am a cyborg. A mix of metal and flesh."

"And, if you are flesh, can you use biotics?" she asked.

"With the asari blood here, it may be possible. I may need more of it, though. If the one called Liara is willing to donate, I will gladly accept," Olympus nodded.

"Interesting. And you know most of my knowledge now from my blood?"

"That I do."

"It is rather scary that you will be learning so much just from one drop of blood. There may be a lot of secrets to be gained, too. If only you could learn about the Admirals of my fleet! I can only wonder what all they are thinking of when it comes to everything here," she muttered.

"We could find out," Olympus said.

"Ah, no!" she said quickly. "Our suits cannot be penetrated. It would mean death for us."

"A shame. But…you gave us blood…"

"And I gained a small fever just from doing that. No, it's not worth it," she said.

"As you say," Olympus nodded respectfully.

"Although, I do worry about my Father," she admitted.

"Would you like us to check on him? We could, if you like."

"Well…as long as no one gets infected."

"So far, that has not yet happened. I believe it depends on the situation. We have not yet infected anyone. Many are warned to see us from afar. So, they are kept safe that way."

"Good to know. I am still surprised that Garrus, on being a turian, can eat whatever he wants now! It…does make me a little jealous," she admitted.

"If you wanted blood from our Empress, it can be done. It may even fix your immune system," Olympus chuckled. Now she stared at him with surprise. "Of course, if it does, I would strongly recommend not going around and informing those that don't need to know."

"I…of course…" she said. "I think I would…really need to think on that…"

"And you can. You have plenty of time," Olympus agreed. Then the drone paused, and Olympus quickly directed its attention to a drone that was watching Miranda in a completely different section of the ship. "Please stop what you are about to do."

"What?!" she gaped and turned quickly. She had a scalpel in her hand and was preparing to cut into the ship. "How did you…?!"

"I am the ship, Olympus, speaking to you from this drone," the lesser drone of Eddie said carefully. "If you puncture my bio-mass, you may infect yourself with a virus."

"But, you don't know that," she said.

"And I will not allow you to do such a thing, either," it said, as two tentacles grew out and latched onto her arms. "Commander John Shepard has been alerted and will be here shortly."

"The Illusive Man will have too many questions!" she argued.

"And they'll remain unanswered," John said when he suddenly appeared on a floating platform from a quick-moving tentacle. "That guy doesn't understand what fighting for humanity is all about anymore. His ideals are no longer valid to me."

"How do you know?" she muttered.

"Miranda…don't you realize that he's trying to control the Reapers? That he's not fighting for humanity? He's experimenting on his own people!" John said. "And you know what that's like now, don't you? I'm sure you do."

"I have…witnessed a few things…here and there…" she sighed.

"Then what were you attempting to do by taking a part of my flesh?" Olympus asked.

"I only wanted to study you. To see how you are in full," she said.

"Release her, please," John said.

"I cannot," Olympus said lightly.

 _:She is watched now. Please release her.:_ Agatha said. When the tendrils suddenly released Miranda, John looked at the drone with surprise.

"My Empress has informed me that she is always watched," Olympus said. Then the drone looked over to nod to Robert walking up to them.

"Miranda, as I respect you for being a member of Commander Shepard's crew, I'm only going to warn you once," Robert said carefully. "Don't turn yourself into an enemy. Just…don't do it. It's not worth the headache. And, if you think that Cerberus is hard to find…these guys _never_ sleep. They may be as ruthless as Cerberus is, but these guys…"

"Miranda, they kill and eat thresher maws for sport!" John said with a small growl. "They even eat _us_ if there's nothing else for them to eat!"

"Then why are we allied with them?!" she asked.

"Because you have no choice."

They all turned to see Alex standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. Then he walked over to her with a smirk, as he said, "You think I'm here out of courtesy? I'm here out of fucking necessity now! I have a way to finally take out those Reapers, and this is what I get out of this? First my mate is asked to see your Council. What did we get for that? Guns in our faces. Disrespected at every fucking turn in that place of Hell. We are now showing you the newest member of our family, and you just want to cut it up into pieces?!"

"It's not what it looks like," she said.

"Sure it isn't. That's like me slamming you up against a wall and taking your blood without your permission," he growled out. "Kinda like this…"

"Hey!" she shouted and found herself plastered up against a false wall. Two drones had a false wall ready to go, and the two Commanders couldn't say anything from Olympus's silent glare at them. She tried to use her biotics, but she was designed to attack things at a distance with various motions. The hive mind was also evolving to withstand such an attack.

"Now, let me ask you this," Alex said with a cold glare. Miranda actually felt a small chill go down her spine. "If I take a drop of blood from you, without your permission, would you call it fair?"

"You can't!" she growled out.

"Stop! Please!" John finally shouted out.

 _:Love, stop it.:_ Agatha grounded at him. _:She's learned her lesson. Let her go.:_

 _:Hera!:_ He barked at her.

 _:Fuck you. No. I'll send Mr. Fluffster down to stop you, if you don't listen to me.:_ She warned. He scowled out loud, took back his viral tissues and glared at her.

"Be lucky that my mate is more lenient on you than I ever will be!" he snarled out and turned. Now he paused to see Agatha being carried by Robin.

"I am sorry, my Emperor. She insisted," Olympus sighed from the drone.

"We are resolving this right now," she said calmly. "This is our home. I will not sit idly by and watch what happens without a resolution. Jack is still amused with a puzzle. I can't focus on mine. So, we are all going to have a little chat. Right here. Right now."

"Of course, Agatha," Robert nodded and let her rest a tendril of hair over his shoulders to protect him. She even did the same thing to John, and he felt oddly protected. The drone speaking for Olympus now got the same treatment, and the ship seemed to tremble with joy at the show of affection. Alex grumbled, but he sighed at the feel of her hair gently coiling around his limbs.

 _:Let me talk to her, love.:_ She smiled warmly. He only nodded to her. Now her tendrils moved to waver around Miranda. "Why did you attempt to knife my home?"

"I wasn't trying to knife it. I only wanted a sample. I was told that I may get severely ill from it. I won't do it again," Miranda said. "You have my word."

"I believe you," Agatha nodded.

"In many ways, I was hoping to scrape off a sample to send to the Illusive Man to see if he would get violently sick," Miranda admitted. Now Alex looked at her with surprise.

"So, you did have a rather valid and amusing reason," Agatha mused. "I'd rather send him a large Hunter that was ready to rip him to shreds."

"Oh…" Miranda actually smiled at that thought.

"I know we are all stressed out here. My family is far too new to know what to expect right now. If you work with us, we will work with you," she soothed calmly.

"I…" Miranda started. Then she paused at the tendril of hair that coiled around her arm. A sensation of motherly protection was given to her now. She trembled and found herself at a loss for words. Agatha now saw that there was something clearly wrong with this one. She resolved to find out what it was in time. For now, she would only show a sense of motherly compassion for her.

"Don't worry. This Illusive Man will get what's coming to him. As will any that get in our way. Just relax and enjoy the sights of a new wonder that's being built before your very eyes. And, Alex, I need you to escort me back to our bedroom. I'm getting hungry again. Oh, Miranda! Make sure you try out some thresher steaks! They are amazing!"

"I'll make sure to do that," Miranda nodded. Agatha could only sigh that it seemed to be her that got to clean up most of the messes around the home. As for now, her hunger was gnawing at her, and Olympus was busy sending down a piece of itself to see what would happen on the planet. The hive mind was eagerly, yet carefully, monitoring everything to get the results.


	21. Chapter 21

The hive mind was overjoyed at how Olympus was able to send out a part of itself to attach to Aite's main surface. It was able to evolve quickly to give itself limbs to walk on, and the drones guided it through the hive link on where a very impressive waterfall view was on the top of a mountain. It was much like a mobile transport right now, and, once a perfect location was picked, it would unpack itself in full to become the elaborate housing that was needed.

 _:IT IS PLEASING, BUT NOT PROTECTED.:_ Olympus stated out.

 _:We know. We don't want our Empress to be locked away in a cave. She was born on a vessel and never able to see the sky when she wished. We will not allow that to happen.:_ Hypnos explained.

 _:I UNDERSTAND. I WAS THINKING, THOUGH. WHEN THE ASARI GAVE US HER BLOOD, SHE IS NATURALLY TUNED IN TO BIOTICS. IF I WAS ABLE TO GAIN MORE OF HER BLOOD, I BELIEVE THAT I CAN ATTAIN THE SAME EVOLUTION.:_ Olympus said in complete thoughtfulness. Now Hypnos found himself wondering at that. _:IF I CAN EVOLVE WITH NATURAL BIOTICS…:_

 _:Then, when you split yourself into segments, they will also have the same abilities!:_ Hypnos said with realization. _:That asari race lives on a world that has a lot of element zero. Their race was able to naturally develop their biotics with no implantation. We could see if she can have her race donate some blood to us. Or maybe just her. I will have someone ask her directly.:_

 _:Let me do it. She's right here with me.:_ Thanatos said. _It was time to wake her up from the game she was playing, anyways._ He walked up to her and tapped on her shoulder. When she looked at him with irritation, he showed her the time. Three hours had passed since she started. She was in shock.

"Oh! Ah, yes. The game works very well…" she said in a flustered way.

"We'll let you finish it. Don't worry," Thanatos chuckled. "But, we have a rather large favor to ask of you. We're not gonna force you, but it's important."

"What is it?" she asked and regarded him fully.

"Your blood, as in your race, is naturally attuned to biotics. Your blood drop told us this. And, yes, we have some of that natural attunement now, but it's not enough. Olympus believes that your blood can assist in giving us a form of natural biotics. Will you donate some of your blood to us?" Thanatos asked in a careful way. "We won't force it from you, as we respect you."

"I see…" she frowned. "and you would only use my blood for good?"

"We will only use the gift you give us to defend and protect our friends and allies. Of course, the enemy will get blown to bits," Thanatos smiled. She took a deep breath and thought it over.

"You all have proven to show you can be trustworthy," she smiled back. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Did you want any of Mother's blood in return?" Tethys asked when she walked over.

"I don't think I do just yet. Things may change, but, for now, I'll just donate freely," Liara smiled with a small nod. "However, I'm not sure if my blood would be enough. There are other very powerful asari out there."

"I don't think it would matter. Blood given freely is always just as powerful as blood taken from a seasoned warrior. And you have been honing your biotic strength rather well. I think we'll be fine," Thanatos grinned. "We would like to do this right away. And don't worry! No one will touch your game. You'll be able to finish it."

"Good!" she laughed.

"And you won't need to teach us how to use your biotics, either. Your memories are all we need. It would also be instinctive. We may also be able to sneak a blood drop from a few asari Commandos, if we find them. The memories they have from their training days will be beneficial," Tethys said.

"You would sneak a blood drop from a Commando?!" she blinked.

"Who says we already haven't?" Thanatos grinned a bit more. That had her pause with shock. "We have drones moving all over the place. They are undetected, silent and very efficient. All an asari has to do is accidentally scratch herself to make herself bleed, and a drone will be right there to collect the drop that falls."

"That's…wow…" Liara blinked at that reasoning.

"We have a few drones on Thessia now. The matriarchs there are…interesting," Thanatos nodded to himself. "Quite a few memories, too."

"That there are! But, we should get this done. If you are still willing to donate some blood for our cause," Tethys said gently. Liara licked her lips and nodded.

"Yes. I did agree. And, I know you won't use what I offer for granted," she said.

"We won't," Thanatos nodded. Several drones arrived with the proper medical equipment for blood extraction, and Liara was able to carefully maneuver her armor around to let them take the blood needed. A clotting solution with a touch of medi-gel was applied to help seal the small puncture wound. Several bottles of flavorful juice were now handed to her to let her recover from the blood loss. They had taken three full vials from her. It would definitely be enough. The precious purple blood would be carefully administered and replicated to disperse throughout the hive.

"I just have one question," Liara admitted.

"Ask it!" Thanatos nodded.

"You got blood from a matriarch?" Liara had to ask. That got them all laughing and chuckling. In another part of Olympus, Hypnos had just retrieved one of the vials and was quickly administering it to the ship. He wanted the pure, raw, unfiltered blood to be given over directly. And, the moment it was done, the ship began to evolve rather swiftly.

The new DNA spread through the viral mass like a bonfire running through brushwood. The outer structure of the ship got sleeker and far more defined. The ship was able to completely replicate the new strand for a complete revamp of its DNA structure. As a bonus, it was able to carefully give out what it was able to create in a very secret solution from the walls, and the drones were quick to collect it for safe hive dispersal. Alex was rather amused, pleased and was already getting his dose of what the ship gave out. Agatha was going to wait until the new eggs were out of her for a precaution before getting her new genetic upgrade. But, the portion on the planet would need a separate injection. They could have given over what the main ship did, but they wanted the raw blood given over instead. There was already a small vial prepped for the travel and underway.

 _:MY EMPEROR.:_ Olympus nudged Alex's resting form. The new DNA given to him did modify him quite a bit, and he had to let his body settle.

 _:Hmm?:_ He responded calmly. Agatha was sleeping deeply against him, and he was making no plans to move. Olympus wasn't going to let him move, anyways, if Agatha was content and happy.

 _:I KNOW WE VOWED TO THE YOUNG FEMALE THAT WE WOULD ASSIST WITH HER PAST ISSUES. HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A QUICK TRIP TO AN ASTEROID FIELD. I FEEL THAT I MUST GROW AND SPLIT APART A FEW TIMES TO ENSURE THE START OF A NEW FLEET. DO YOU AGREE?:_

 _:Do you have a way to eat an asteroid?:_ Alex asked with a hint of amusement.

 _:I HOPE TO FIND OUT.:_ Olympus chuckled.

 _:And the place on Aite?:_

 _:IT IS DEVELOPING AS PLANNED.:_

 _:Good. Carry on.:_ Alex nodded and patted a viral part of the ship bed. Olympus shivered with appreciation from the affection given. It was why Alex did it. Much like Spike, the ship liked to have a little attention here and there. It was quite alive, and it was going to strive to prove itself to its family. With Alex giving it attention, it showed that the ship was his pet now. _Agatha can keep the Hunter. I'll keep the badass ship ready to eat whatever came at them._

 _:My Emperor, why are we moving?:_ Hypnos asked him directly.

 _:Olympus is hungry. It wants to eat some asteroids. I gave the go ahead. Why?:_ Alex asked.

 _:Oh! I just noticed we were moving. I only wanted to make sure.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:That's fine. Guide us to a good place. Oh. Find out what kind of asteroids we need.:_ Alex suggested. That got Hypnos contacting Olympus.

 _:What type of asteroids do you require?:_ The King asked.

 _:I WOULD SAY METALLIC ONES TO BOOST MY STRUCTURE.:_ Olympus said.

 _:Okay! Focus in on the asteroids in the Knossos system. There should be some there.:_ He said. _:If you plan to jump there, we must be cautious. You are a rather large ship now.:_

 _:POINT TAKEN.:_ Olympus agreed. When the feeling of movement happened again, John was found approaching Osiris with confusion.

"Olympus feels an urge to grow and expand. We are heading towards the Relay to get to a system that has a lot of heavy metal asteroids. We also plan to harvest a few of the smaller ones for weapon forging. Any large ore quantities that we find in bulk, we can send to Tuchanka," Osiris chuckled.

"Um, when can I fly the Normandy out of here?" John asked.

"Whenever you want! But, I'd wait until after the jump. I know you have missions to do. That's fine," Osiris nodded. He looked over to see Kasumi walking over.

"This place is incredible! And, I still want to get Keiji's grey box back. It's really important," she said. "It holds a piece of information that can cripple so many things!"

"Why didn't you say that before?" John frowned.

"Current events?" she shrugged.

"Let Olympus grow and start to shed off parts of itself. We need to see how it can eat first," Osiris said calmly. "Also, if you give us a drop of your blood, we'll learn what you know."

"I'm a master thief! I can't just give over my secrets," she frowned.

"We would know what you know. And we'd be able to help you on other missions. You wouldn't have to tell us what to do, either," Osiris pointed out.

"I have to wonder now," Kasumi said. "You just said that the ship was hungry. Does it have internal organs? Or…how would it process food?"

"Ah…" Osiris blinked at this and saw a drone walking over.

"It is I, Olympus. I am going to answer your questions directly," the drone said.

"You are the ship?" Kasumi blinked.

"No. I speak through this drone so you can hear me," it said.

"Ahh! Okay. What do you have to say?" she asked.

"It is true that I am evolving a complex chamber for organs. They will be confined in separate chambers away from view, and they will develop much like that of a large snake. Other organs will evolve and grow to have other uses and purposes," Olympus nodded.

"But, you don't have any blood vessels, right?" Kasumi frowned.

"I do not. There is no need. I only consume, evolve and grow. Certain things are unneeded for me. I will only evolve and adapt to what I need to continue to serve the hive mind," it said.

"I do find it a bit unsettling that you know exactly where I am," she sighed.

"You are walking through me. Your weight is always felt. Not sure if you can float, but I may be able to sense the passing of air. I wonder if I can evolve to do that," Olympus mused aloud.

"It's called growing small hairs like whiskers," Osiris grinned.

"Ugh! Why did you have to give him ideas?!" she scowled.

"I am an 'it' not a 'him'. Many seem to make that mistake," Olympus chuckled.

"I don't think it matters, honestly. You're a ship. You're going to reproduce. Hmm. Maybe you should referred to as a girl?" she grinned softly.

"Doubtful," Osiris grinned back. "But, we need Olympus to grow more and start making other ships to send out for us. Once that happens, we'll be able to focus on your little event."

"I don't think we'll have time. His event happens in a couple days. We really need to start getting things in motion now," she said in a serious tone.

"I see. You know, if you gave us a drop of blood, we'd have drones infiltrating his place right now and getting it ready for you. Just thought I'd tell you that," Osiris said with a shrug.

"Damn it! I just…" she seemed to fret. "I have too many secrets."

"It's fine. Just means that things will be done a bit harder," the breeder male chuckled. "Besides, we don't spill secrets. And we don't blackmail our allies."

"You wouldn't?" she asked.

"No. We don't," he nodded. "We would respect your secrets."

"Give me a bit more time to think about it," she said with a small sigh of defeat.

"The longer you wait, the more irritable you'll feel," Osiris grinned.

"Stop that!" she scowled at him and stormed away. He only laughed at her vanishing form.

"I shall keep track of her," the drone nodded.

"Good. Anyways, we need to get you to eat something. It's time for you to evolve," Osiris nodded to the drone. The drone nodded back, and the ship went through the Mass Relay to get to the Knossos system. Once it got there, it was able to move to the closest asteroid field location.

 _:Hey. Question. Can you feel the house on Aite?:_ Alex nudged the ship.

 _:I CAN. IT IS DOING WELL. MY PART JUST GOT THE BLOOD FROM THE ASARI ON BOARD. IT WILL EVOLVE QUICKLY.:_

 _:If you can only feel it as a part, I wonder if that is how you will sense the other ships you make. Would the new parts have their own names and ideas?:_ He asked.

 _:I BELIEVE THEY WILL. HMM. THE PART OF ME ON AITE DOES APPEAR TO BE GAINING ITS OWN AWARENESS, BUT IT IS STILL 'ME' TO THAT EXTENT. AS THAT PART IS TO BE AN EXTENSION OF ME, IT SHALL STILL BEAR MY NAME.:_

 _:Makes sense. Okay. We'll see what happens with the other things you make for us.:_

 _:YES, MY EMPEROR.:_ Olympus agreed. Now the hive mind focused on how Olympus was going to eat its first asteroid. A mouth with a set of teeth as long as a semi-truck now formed. Two rows of the massive spikes of destruction were detected, and a set of back molars for crushing were formed next. The large front canines fit over the large asteroid first to judge bite size. Then the massive mouth crashed down to sheer the asteroid into a near-perfect half.

"What was that?!" Liara shrieked at how the ship suddenly rocked around rather hard.

"Olympus is eating its first meal. And it's a metallic asteroid," Thanatos explained when he carefully caught her to steady her. She found herself blushing hard at his touch, but she knew he was fully bonded to another. He was treating her like a complete sister.

"I see. Wait. A metallic asteroid?! That's impossible!" Liara said with shock. "Those are solid pieces of, well, metal! Well, nearly all metal, if it hasn't been mined, but…you get the idea!"

"We know. And our ship just bit one in half. And now it's chewing it up like a raw potato. Rather fun to think about," Thanatos grinned. "What's wrong?"

"This ship…I mean…is it going to eat a Reaper?" she had to ask.

"That would be an awesome idea!" Thanatos grinned wickedly. Now Liara's jaw dropped. "Come to think of it, whales eat squid all the time on Earth. Natural predator/prey situation. And these Reapers look pretty much like squid…"

"Thank you for the idea. I shall evolve to resemble a whale," a lesser drone of Robin nodded from where it stood nearby. "For speed, I may use Mako Shark tactics. They are the fastest known predator in the ocean. I shall work on this."

"Sounds good," Thanatos nodded.

"Be prepared. I am taking another bite. As I build on resources, this will be less noticeable," Olympus seemed to apologize.

"It's fine," the King chuckled. A split second later, the ship rocked again, as the rest of the asteroid was finished off with a few quick snaps of the massive jaws. Sure enough, as the asteroid was consumed, the evolving made this easier to bear. Soon there would be no notice that it was even eating. It would build a form of shock absorbing muscles to keep itself as steady as possible to ensure that its hive family and cargo wouldn't even notice what it was doing.

"I was curious," Liara said. "You said that this ship was like a giant drone?"

"I think that was what Mother called it," Thanatos nodded.

"Well, your drones can cloak. Can Olympus cloak?" she asked. "You know? Um, go invisible? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Olympus…?" Thanatos asked and glanced over his shoulder at the drone.

"I…think I can!" Olympus said with surprise. "However, due to my size, I need extra resources. It may be the same for other parts that I place out there for the hive mind."

"Would you have a place to store the resources?" Thanatos asked.

"I can create several places for safety," the drone nodded. "It would be necessary."

"If you are under attack, then you know you would need stored reserves in other places. Would you even take in another ship?" he asked.

"It may be possible. If the vessel I make is too badly damaged, I can see that happening," Olympus agreed. "It would be better than letting it waste away to nothing."

"Very true," he grinned.

"This is…so much…" Liara whispered.

"It can be. Just don't let the thoughts eat at you," Thanatos advised.

"But then Olympus would eat at me!" she retorted and got them laughing.

"Just remain as our ally, and you will be protected," Olympus vowed.

"It would be worthless to not be your ally," she admitted. "You are already doing so much for us. And we need your support. Despite what else happens."

"We can understand that," Thanatos nodded. "Now, I think I'm getting hungry. Tethys has a nice lunch made for us. Let's go."

"Of course," she nodded and paused when Olympus had a tentacle with a steel platform come forth. Thanatos hopped onto it and gestured for her. She found herself stepping up next and found herself amazed at how they got lifted and carefully taken to the galley.

"Joker! There you are," John said and found his way to the mess hall, too.

"I had no idea that thresher tasted like this! I wonder if they are this hard to kill on purpose," the pilot grinned and finished off the steak he was given. "Are we gonna get these on the Normandy? If we do, sign me up for more breaks!"

"That's a good question," John chuckled.

"We can stock up the Normandy with no problems," Thanatos said when he came over with Liara. "I'm sure we can set that up rather easily."

"Good to know. My crew could use a good meal every now and then. It would help with morale," John nodded. "I do have a few runs I have to do."

"That's fine. We'll work with it," Thanatos nodded and looked over to see Alya walking over with a small smile on her face.

"What's going to happen now?" she asked.

"Well, Olympus needs to grow and build up on resources. Then your mom and dad need to go on an important mission. Also, you need some schooling," the King grinned and let her hug him.

"I know I do. But…um…" she seemed a bit flustered. Thanatos wisely led her away from the others to talk. In a hushed whisper, she said, "I think…I like Mordin…"

"What?!" Thanatos grimaced at her and got her laughing. "I'm sorry, but Mordin is rather old for you. Ya know? I'm sure my Emperor would also disagree with this."

"Not if he takes some of Mom's blood!" she grinned.

"And he's always running tests and doing things and…just…no. Please?" Thanatos chuckled.

"Maybe I should talk to Mom," she said.

"Or…you talk to Mordin," he smirked. That got her blushing and shaking her head. "Besides, you're not old enough just yet. We don't even have a drop of blood from him, either. You still have time. Just take your time and grow up a bit more. We'll talk about relationship stuff later."

"Okay," she nodded and thought about something. "So, is living on Olympus official?"

"You will live wherever our Empress lives. That's the rule. But, for now, yes. You will be living on Olympus. And why are you grinning like that?" Thanatos mused.

"I have a new room! Um…can you help me decorate it? There's some things I want to get, but I'm not sure what," she sighed. Thanatos laughed, and Tethys was quick to come over to help out.

"Hera," Alex whispered in the hoarse way she loved to hear when he woke her up.

"Hmm?" she blinked herself awake and yawned. "What is it, Zeus?"

"Alya likes Mordin," he grinned. Now she looked at him with solid amusement.

"Is that so? Interesting," she mused and leaned into him. He traced a hand up her arm to lightly tickle her, and she giggled softly. "Who should tell him?"

"Thanatos wants her to tell him directly. Also, Olympus just ate its first metallic asteroid. It evolved some very impressive teeth! I was also informed that a ship is being built. Scouting vessel, I think. We'll see the results shortly."

"How are the ships being developed?" she asked.

"My Empress, I can try to answer for you," Olympus said through a drone. Nick was paying close attention, and it was giving a little affection to Spike to keep the Hunter happy. "I am making an excess amount of reserves, as I may be able to naturally cloak. But, to cloak, I need resources. Likely due to my size. As for new ships, I am sort of making a bit of a womb. Like our Empress for eggs, but it is only to form the ships."

"Really? Are you considered female now?" Agatha grinned.

"No. I do not have a true gender. I simply create them as a factory," it explained.

"Ah! I see now. And you would need resources to cloak? Hmm. We'll make sure you get them," Alex nodded. Agatha was just beaming at this news.

"As for another matter, I may be able to repurpose any wounded ships I create to come back into me. I can absorb in the wounded and remake them better. If I need resources, they will also be my resources. As long as any memories they glean are saved, they can be remade later," Olympus explained.

"That's like cloning with memory back up. Excellent! We'll see if you can do that," Alex nodded. "How much more do you need to eat?"

"Three more large asteroids would suffice for now. I am moving to the next one. Kasumi has stated that she needs to reach her target destination soon. She is contemplating on giving us a drop of her blood. Osiris has been mildly berating her about it," Olympus smiled slightly.

"Let him keep doing that," Agatha nodded. "This could be very important."

"I shall encourage him to continue on your behalf," the drone nodded.

"My Empress, would we be able to go with you?" Nick asked with worry.

"Likely not directly. You would have to be on the side-lines and ready to charge in through other areas unseen. If you can get the others to cloak, then it will be best," she said seriously.

"I'll be with her. You all can fuck up anyone that gets in the way," Alex grunted. "I don't think that Robert or Garrus need to join us. So, ah…wait. I need a new suit. Fuck…"

"I'll have one with a traditional style secured," Nick grinned. Alex flipped it off, but Agatha was just blushing that her mate was going to have to show up in a designer suit once again. She eagerly awaited that with her own hidden form of complete joy.


	22. Chapter 22

Right after Agatha birthed the drone eggs, Kasumi was notified that she was to start making arrangements to leave. Alex was still very impressed that the ship was able to make its own tentacle nursery for the eggs to be held in. _And, the eggs would be pulled completely out of sight for protection to simply merge into the ceiling._

"Here, my Emperor," Nick said and displayed a whole new outfit for him that distinguished him as high class. Alex sighed and consumed it to let it form. Then he got pounced on by Agatha, and he found himself grinning at her look of complete lust.

"I'm sure we'll find plenty of areas to fuck soon enough," he chuckled and pulled her against him. "And, trust me. I feel the same fucking way about you, too."

"You'd think so," she murmured softly in a way that made him growl. She was wearing the same style of dress that she first appeared in on the Citadel, only this one was made with white, stretch velvet with the gold Grecian embroidery. And, he was severely close to pulling the thin straps of white stretch velvet that covered over her chest right off. "When do we have to leave?"

"Right now," Alex muttered and pressed a lusty kiss to her mouth. "We'll be following Shepard and Kasumi when it comes to getting there. You and I are to be separate guests with that gold and diamond necklace he accepted. You know? The one with naturally different colors with each diamond being around three karats around. He had to accept it. And we'll get that back."

"Even you were hesitant on offering it," she grinned.

"You know I was! I gave you that gift! So, it's only natural that we're gonna get it back. And, Eros will guard it. He's on his way there now. He'll hide out with Leto, and he plans to take over that piece of shit. So don't worry," he smirked.

"Oh. Did our other children make it to the base with the prisoners?" she asked.

"They did. Perses and Styx have already shown up there with a vastly improved regime for them," he nodded. Then he caught one of her thoughts. "Ah. Yes, he was supposed to take over that Warden guy. But, eh…may as well have a breeder be in the spotlight than a King."

"I should be with Garrus again. We need more of his breeders out there," she smiled.

"True. Okay. After we are done here, and, if you're not fucked silly by me, we'll make a plan for it. Although, I have a pretty good feeling that he'll have to wait for you. With how we are right now, we may be fucking in front of the party host just to fuck with him," he grinned.

"I'm down for that," she grinned back and let him kiss her again. "Should we bring Spike with us? Or no?"

"Hmm. You know what? Maybe it can come with us. It can just…hang out in the car. The moment you're in danger, it will find you. Yeah. We gotta bring Spike. Nick! You're on pet duty."

"Understood, my Emperor," the drone nodded.

"Agatha," Robert said when he walked into the bedroom. "I want to make one thing clear."

"Yes?" she smiled at him.

"If this Donovan guy even _thinks_ of letting himself replace me as your stud, I'm fucking him over!" he growled out. That got her barking out laughter.

"Nah. Don't bother. Eros will handle that guy for you. But, if you wanna watch, we'll make arrangements," Alex grinned a touch sadistically.

"Good. I'm going to want to. And I want it recorded," he snorted. Alex barked out laughter with Agatha at that idea. "Anyone that wants to be her human stud, or another stud, I want to fuck them up!"

"That's fine. I'm sure that Garrus would also want in?" Alex snickered.

"You know I do," the turian grunted out when he walked in next. "My kids were kind enough to tell me of the conversation going on here. And, I'm politely declining them the need to meet my Father and sister. They don't need to meet my kids."

"Maybe they should," Alex mused.

"No," Garrus said with a hard shake of his head.

"I wouldn't mind meeting him," Agatha shrugged.

"Please…don't?" Garrus seemed to beg. That got her smiling warmly.

"Okay. I won't," she nodded. He nodded back with a bit of relief.

"I'm happy enough that my kids sent over some of the drones they made to help protect him and my sister. I'll know where they are now. And, I was curious. How are we going to get over to see you mess up this guy?" he asked. Robert was also curious about this.

"You'll be in a delayed car that will be just out of bounds. The moment the area is clear, we'll signal you both in to bear witness to Eros taking him over. He says he discovered something rather…intricate when it comes to Kings and their prey. So, we'll see what he found out," Alex chuckled. "As of right now, we need to get to the Normandy to ensure we reach our new location."

"Good. I also wanted to drop an idea in your lap," Robert said, as they all moved to where the Normandy was docked. Alex nodded to show he was paying attention. "Olympus said that smaller ships can be used to gather resources. I wonder. Can they also hollow out a nearby asteroid and make a small little factory nest in it?"

"We need to do that!" Agatha said with complete approval.

"That would do it. Especially if the Reapers show up unannounced. We'd already be waiting for them," Garrus smirked. Alex looked at him. Then he looked at Robert. He rolled the idea around in his head. At how he started to smile, Agatha began to send out the go ahead to get it done. Right after that, Alex knew it was time to leave.

 _:AFTER I DO MY FIRST SPLIT TO FORM ANOTHER SHIP LIKE MYSELF, I WILL ENSURE THAT WE BEGIN TO HARVEST AND POPULATE OTHER SYSTEMS.:_ Olympus chuckled.

 _:You do that! As for now, we have a party to go to.:_ Alex agreed.

 _:I shall be there, my Emperor. Leto and I are eagerly awaiting our new home.:_ Eros laughed softly. _:And don't worry. You will see_ exactly _how I plan to take over this…disgrace of a human.:_

 _:I look forward to watching.:_ Alex grinned in the link. Then he had an idea, and he waited until he saw John at the dock to let him hear it. "You know, we could put a form of viral coating over the Normandy to protect it."

"No," John said with a small smile. "Only because, if it comes alive, I know that EDI would have the biggest fit of her life. And, yes, I am referring to EDI as a 'she'."

"It would be nice for her to have a body," Agatha beamed.

"Hell, I'd like to see her gain full control of the ship!" Alex grinned.

"If that happened, Joker would never let me live it down!" John grimaced at him to get him laughing. "I'll leave things as they are."

"You never know, though. It might be needed," Agatha smiled.

"When we come to that bridge, I'll let him make the decision to walk over it. Or maybe he'll just jump into the water and let himself drown…" John mused. That got them both laughing.

"So, where are we going?" Agatha asked.

"We need to go to the Serpent Nebula. The Boltzmann system is there, if I recall. The planet we are heading towards in that system is called Bekenstein. You could say that it's a very rich planet, but mainly water. Lots of island homes there, and it's quite beautiful," John said. "It wasn't very popular for farming on, due to lack of large plots of land, but it's a nice place to escape to for a getaway."

"Hmm…" Agatha mused.

"I'm sure we'll have quite a bit of family go there. And, yes, we will have a home there, too," Alex smiled and kissed her. "We'll have a lot of new homes. Don't worry. And that's a good thought! We could set up a resort spa for the elite and working class."

"Good!" she winked and got squeezed by him. He led her in after that, and the Normandy was able to safely go back out into space. Unknown to John, though, was that Olympus left a small bit of itself right under the hull to ensure that it knew where the allied ship was at all times. If it had to, it would assist in protecting the ship with other drones nearby. Maybe even other ships when more were made.

"Spike, behave," Alex muttered to it when it loped onto the ship in a happy way. It tilted its head at him now at the small command. "I have orders for you."

Now it sat down to hear them out. "We are going to a place with a lot of nasty fuckers. You can't come in with us. However, if you sense that Agatha is in danger, you can come out and play."

At this, it seemed to growl, but it understood all too well. It moved over and nudged its head against Alex to show it would listen to him. Now Agatha smiled and said, "You can hear me from pretty much anywhere, right, Mr. Fluffster?"

At this, it tilted a head at her with complete enthusiasm. Now she beamed and said, "Good! If I mutter out your name, I'm sure you can hear me. Just come to the sound of my voice."

It seemed to be completely jittery with excitement. It would _definitely_ do as she asked! Now that a nice plan was set, it was able to curl up a bit at her feet for the quick Mass Relay jump. When they reached the planet in question, they were able to dock the Normandy easily. Two cars were rented, and Kasumi already had everything planned ahead.

"Let us get about thirty minutes out. Then you two can follow," she said. "If we arrive all at once, it will seem a little suspicious. It will also give Shepard and I time to scope the place out."

"That's fine," Agatha nodded. "Besides, we already had twenty drones go in just a few days prior. Several guards now work for me."

"What?! Why didn't you just say so?" she frowned.

"We were waiting for your drop of blood," Alex shrugged. That got her rolling her eyes.

"Tell you what. If we get Keiji's grey box back, I'll consider it," she said.

"Maybe you should see what's in it first. Then we can get the drop. We can help you, if you find something alarming," Agatha said. Kasumi thought about it.

"We'll see," she nodded. The moment she left with Shepard, Agatha turned to face Robert and Garrus. When they nodded to her, she smiled.

"The two of you need to wait with the others in the car. Nick will keep you both informed. And, Mr. Fluffster will see if it can hear me. Isn't that right?" Agatha crooned to the Hunter to get it excited. She gave it a treat of dried thresher heart, and it pressed against her with affection.

"Cock blocking…" Alex muttered. She giggled and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

"Hush now, love. Let's claim our treasure back," she whispered huskily in his ear. He gave a small groan and gave her a long, thorough kiss. "Maybe we can try out the bedroom…"

"Let's get moving," he growled, kissed her again and led them all to the waiting car. Garrus was able to drive it, and Robert sat in the front seat with him. Agatha and Alex were in an intense make-out session in the back seat. Spike and Nick were calmly in the back seat, too, and idly waiting for the car to get there. The rest of her main escort was getting there in their own fashion.

"How long do you plan to keep this up for?" she grinned and gasped at his nip to her neck.

"I'll be keeping it up through the whole fucking event if we keep doing this," he growled into her ear to make her shiver with need. When he pressed his hips against her, she found herself squirming with solid want. He grinned wickedly at her and ran his hands over her body.

"Not fair," she whispered and gave into the heavy kiss he gave her.

"We're almost there," Garrus smirked.

"Shut up and drive!" he snapped. He hated being interrupted.

"Come now," she chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "He's only warning us in advance."

"I don't care," he muttered and pressed his face into her neck to take in her scent. At the feel of the car slowing down, he sighed and shook his head. "Should have had him go slower…"

"Any slower and she would have gotten pregnant. Then where would that leave us?" Robert asked. At the glare Alex gave him, Robert simply flipped him off to prove a point. That got Agatha laughing at the sour look that her mate gave back. "You'll have plenty of time to fuck her when we claim this house. So, suck it up."

"Fuck you!" Alex growled at him. "I don't take orders from _you_!"

"Alex…" Agatha said gently. "Remember your truce. He's only trying to help."

"Fuck it, Hera…" Alex mumbled and pressed into her. "I'm tired of waiting…"

"I know," she chuckled and nuzzled him. "I know all too well on how you feel. Just look at me! So, let's compromise. The moment we get that fucker killed off, we'll fuck in the bedroom. It's a new place, and I'm sure Eros wouldn't mind the extra drones. As if he would have a choice, anyways."

"I'm holding you to that," he smirked at her. She grinned softly at him, let him kiss her one more time and sighed when the car came to a stop.

"This is as far as we can go. Alex, you'll need to drive the rest of the way," Garrus said. "One of my kids sent some drones out here to get Robert and I, as well as any others, out here with us."

"All right. Ah. There they are," Alex said when the car pulled over to where another car was waiting. The switch was made quickly, and Spike seemed to whine.

"Don't worry. You'll be near me again soon," Agatha soothed and let her tentacle hair run over its back to calm it. "When you get there, just remain calm, and listen for me to say your name."

It sighed, but seemed to nod at her. Alex wasn't very pleased. _It was getting smarter and smarter as the days went by._ When Alex was alone with Agatha in the car, he was quick to bring up John's memories on how to drive it. They were on the road to drive the rest of the way shortly after.

"You know," Alex mused out loud. "this is kinda nice."

"Hmm?" she smiled.

"Just us. A quiet car ride to a place we're gonna fuck up to claim for ourselves. It's a small bit of time to reflect on a few things," he chuckled. He rested a hand on her leg to hear her giggle softly. At the sight of the structure coming up, he sighed. "And there's our destination. A shame."

"Over so soon?" she asked softly. He brought the car up, parked it for the valet parking to take over, and he pressed a branding kiss to her mouth.

"I'm not leaving you alone," he vowed.

"Good," she nodded. He had her wait in the car, as he got out first. He wanted to let her out to show that a form of chivalry still existed. Eros suggested it, and Agatha was just beaming at Alex for doing it. It was why he was doing it, anyways.

 _:My Emperor, check the trunk.:_ Osiris said. _:It's a small gift from Eros to Mr. Hock.:_

Alex found himself grinning at this. He moved to pop the trunk and bit back his laugh at the small, purple silk bag of gourmet nuts there. One of the drones had placed it there while the switch was happening. He took out the bag, closed the trunk and now moved to let Agatha out.

"Eros is such a fucking tease!" Agatha cackled in a low tone. He just chuckled, kept an arm around her, and turned to face the pale man wearing a luxury suit. His brown hair was clipped short, he sported a faint mustache, and he seemed to be one that only liked the finest in life. Then again, he was a smuggler of drugs, weapons and whatever else he could get his hands on.

Donovan had just let Shepard into his party, but he declined Kasumi. Alex really didn't like that. But, when the man turned and set his gaze on Agatha, his jaw seemed to drop with disbelief.

"Hello. I am Agatha. My mate and I were the ones that donated that charming necklace," she said with a small nod. At the mention of the man next to her being her mate, he seemed a touch disappointed. Alex didn't say anything, though. He kept an arm securely around her waist. When the human regarded Alex, all he got was a small nod in return.

"I welcome you to my home. I am Donovan Hock. I shall hope you have a pleasant time. If you have any questions, feel free to seek me out," he said with an elegant air.

"Here. I have a small gift for you. It's a small sack of gourmet nuts. I hope you enjoy them," Alex said in a mildly cordial way. One of the guards there was able to take it to inspect it. Agatha just barely kept a straight face when Donovan took one out to sample it. He was pleased at the taste.

"Thank you! I shall enjoy these. I do welcome you both. Please have a grand time," he said. Alex knew all too well that he was going to want to speak with Agatha alone.

"I know I said I wasn't gonna leave your side, but we need to get this asshole to tell us his thoughts about you. It will give me a reason to kill him later," Alex muttered in a low tone for her to hear, as they walked into the building. "We'll find a place that I can act like I'm getting you something to eat. I can feel that shitbag trying to see when I'm gonna leave you alone even now. So, we'll give him one chance. If he says anything that pisses me off, he's dead!"

"Oh, you know he's already dead," she chuckled and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "We'll just have to let Eros prove his point when it comes to taking him over. Right?"

"True. Okay, I'm going to lead you over to an area with a nice view," he said and carefully walked her graceful form over to a balcony terrace. It displayed a beautiful view of the ocean around them. Then in a louder voice, he said, "Just wait for me here, love. I'm going to see what kind of food there is to feed you with. I'll be right back."

"Don't be long," she nodded. He pressed a loving kiss to her cheek and walked off. He already nodded to a server. And the server was one of Eros's drones. A small grin was given, and the drone moved to assist Alex in a professional way to provide appetizers to him for him to select. He was also distracting Donovan this way for Shepard to get into the well-armed safe with Kasumi. He just gave a rather heart-felt speech when Shepard asked him a few questions. Kasumi needed his voice for vault recognition. Now with the crowd appeased, Donovan wanted to ask his own questions of Agatha.

"You are left all alone?" Donovan asked, as he leisurely walked over to where Agatha was standing. He was holding a glass of wine in an expertly careful way to keep the liquid from spilling, as he moved. "Such a shame! Well, perhaps I can be of better company?"

"Ah. My husband just left to find me some refreshments. He'll be back shortly," she smiled.

"Do tell me. I heard slight rumors that one like you was considered royalty…?" he asked.

"Of course. I am the Empress of my race. The head of my people. So is Alex, my husband and mate. I do have two studs that assist me, too, but that is the most I will ever have at my side," she chuckled. "It's a…complicated situation."

"I see. And…studs? I mean…" he gave a pause now.

"I can have various males give me a random arrangement of children. I currently have a human stud and a turian stud. Both are highly protective of me, as they should be," she explained.

"So…you can't have a third one? Of course, I wouldn't be one to share," he admitted.

"Then you'd have to kill Alex. And, he can survive a nuclear bomb attack," she grinned. "But, first you'd have to face my two studs. This also includes all of the children they've had with me. I'm not sure if you can kill over ten thousand of my children. I doubt you'd be able to."

"I see…" he seemed to weigh his words carefully. "Well, I have a party to tend to. I am the host, after all. I do hope to see you again."

"Likewise," she nodded. Then he turned and found Alex right in his face.

"It's funny," Alex grounded out. "At first, I thought you were a nice guy. But, flirting with my wife and making comments on wanting to keep her to yourself? That's a rather fine line in my book. So, yeah. Go tend to your party. And stay the _fuck_ away from my wife!"

"And, before you reprimand him for manners, do remember what you suggested to me. Alex is only being the protective, loving husband that he needs to be. Hopefully, this will not happen again. Because, well, let's be honest. He's not the one you have to worry about. It's really me," she grinned a touch wickedly. "Because, you'd have to prove your worth to me in the end. And, if I don't like you, I would simply slaughter you for spite. But, indeed, a rather splendid party! Go on and tend to the crowd."

For some strange, horrid reason, Donovan now realized that he narrowly escaped with his life. The even sadder thing was that he still wanted Agatha for himself. As a lover and collector of beauty, he knew he had to have her at his side at any cost now. _But, first, I have to see to a meddling thief._ His vault was just opened, and he had to preserve his prize of the grey box in his possession.

"Watch over that Empress," Donovan growled over the security comm. "Don't let her leave my house! She will be added to my collection."

"Of course, Sir," a guard responded. He walked over now, and Agatha looked over with a small frown. "I need to escort you somewhere."

"And my mate?" she asked.

"He can remain here," the man said.

"Sorry. She's my wife. I don't let her go anywhere without me," Alex said with a warning glare. "Now, if you want to convince me, then let's go somewhere else and chat about it. Unless you want to cause a stir in front of a group of people."

"Okay. Follow me," the guard nodded and began to lead them away. Right when they got out of sight, Alex unleashed his claws and impaled the man straight through.

"Thanks. It makes this easier," Alex grinned and consumed the man right after that. "Hmm. Ah. Let me lead you to where we were going. Then I'll just wait in the room with you with my new disguise. If I'm told to leave you alone, I won't listen."

"I won't complain," she snickered softly. "Maybe you should get a uniform…"

"No," he muttered when he let his usual clothes come forth and pulled her close. "I know you like this best. Don't you?"

"And you like me best naked. Or is it with a string bikini?" she mused aloud. She squealed at the small slap he gave her rear.

"You are always such a bitch!" he growled and kissed her hard.

"I was taken to a guest room," she grinned.

"No. We fuck in shitbag's bed. Nothing else will work. _I_ only want the best for us," he chuckled and kissed her again. "So, we'll just wait this out."

"At least I won't be alone," she murmured and gasped when he lifted her in his arms to lightly carry her. At his stern, yet loving and gentle gaze, she found herself smiling back.

" _Never_. You'll never be alone," he vowed and kissed her passionately.

 _:My Emperor, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Leto and I are almost there. Kasumi and Shepard need some help on the landing pad. If you can secure my new disguise, it would be appreciated.:_ Eros nudged him. Alex rose a brow at this and looked at Agatha. She only nodded to show she heard the message, too, and he set her down to lead her to where a gunship was hovering in the air.

"I'll kill you both!" Donovan snarled through the speakers. Then he paused at the sight of Agatha walking out of the main house. He was fuming that she was able to simply walk out, but he couldn't do anything about it until Kasumi and Shepard were dead.

"He has shields on that gunship!" Shepard yelled out.

"Get him close enough to us! I can disable them!" Kasumi said. Agatha simply looked at them. Then she looked at the gunship. Then she smiled. She knew she couldn't hurt him with those shields up. Alex was simply watching with his arms crossed over his chest. "Damn it! He keeps moving! Agatha, the shielding only deflects bullets! Can you pull him closer for me?"

"This is why I'm the Empress and the real fear of my race," Agatha murmured out and let her hair become a mass of lethal tendrils. Donovan stared with horror at how they launched out and grabbed onto the main parts of the gunship. Now it was effortlessly tugged into a vulnerable position. He simply couldn't move the aircraft at all from how locked down she had it, and he was debating at firing his guns at her. When he saw Alex grow out his lethal claws in warning, he knew that wasn't an option. His prized aircraft would get sliced right in half when Alex demonstrated how easily his claws simply swiped at a steel box to make it instant scrap metal. At the sight of several guards appearing to support their boss, she only sighed. "Mr. Fluffster. Please find me."

The Hunter off in the distance felt its name called. It howled with rage and launched over to where its mistress was waiting. Anything that was not an ally around her was soon charged at with a blood-curdling scream of hatred and torn apart. Kasumi had already neatly disabled the shields with a few well-timed jumps, and she landed expertly on her feet like a slender cat. When Shepard rose up his gun to fire at the gunship, Alex gave a hand wave to back off.

"I like that gunship. Let's keep it," Alex muttered to his mate.

"Of course, love," she smiled and let her tendriled hair infiltrate into the main engine to simply disconnect the batteries. Then she eased the helicopter down, so it wouldn't get too scratched up. Her tentacles easily popped open the hatch and extracted the human in a smooth, effortless way to set him up in front of them. Two guards dropped their disguises to show they were drones and moved to grab him.

"What?!" Donovan gaped at the drones.

"Your house now belongs to the viral hive mind. Thanks for inviting us in," Alex grinned wickedly. When Eros and Leto appeared, he nodded to them. "Eros! Nice to see you."

"Surely, my Emperor," he chuckled. Leto got embraced by Agatha, and Spike moved to her side to get a good scratching. Donovan could only stare with wonder at Leto's face and form, but Agatha always surpassed her family. At the sight of Robert and Garrus now joining them, Donovan now realized who the studs were. _And both appeared to be more than able to rip me apart._ Once they were present, Eros continued his demonstration. "And, now, I do believe that is time for me to become the host and take control of the rest of the party for the evening…"

"What?!" Donovan paled. Now he paused at how Eros moved behind him. He was still floored at how this viral family was so perfect in face and form. Eros could have easily resembled the Statue of David that he had in his vault!

"As I was saying, my Emperor, every King has a method to take someone over," Eros murmured out in his lulling, easy-going voice. "My method is simple. I let the victim feel…everything…as it happens. Such as…"

"No! Please!" the human begged and gasped at the feel of Eros's viral presence slowly start to pour over his skin like a wash of silk.

"Every pore. Every follicle of hair. Every nerve that can feel a form of exquisite pleasure. Every part of you is going to succumb to everything that I am…" Eros muttered out in a dark, low tone. "And, I'm glad you enjoyed the nut sack. That little gift was from me."

"The…!" Donovan gaped, as he now understood the misguided joke. When the drones released him, he found himself unable to move. Eros had already claimed complete control over the man's limbs.

"And, now that you are under my control, there is only one last thing to do," Eros grinned and let the human scream in pain, as the King dug himself right into his new host.

"Remind me to _never_ piss him off!" Garrus muttered out to get Agatha laughing. Alex only nodded at that logic. When Donovan stopped screaming, his body went rigid. New memories now poured into the hive mind in a rapid-fire way. Then he opened his eyes with a small smile.

"Hmm…" Eros now said in his new form and stretched out his limbs. "Not bad?"

"It's ugly," Leto seemed to pout. Eros chuckled and let his natural form come back. "So much better! But, I know you have to get through the rest of the party. I'll endure for a bit longer."

"Good. And, our drones finished taking over the rest of the guards," Eros nodded.

"Fine. Agatha, I'm fucking you first in the main bedroom. Garrus, after she gives birth, you're next to be with her. Figure out what's gonna happen now," Alex said and lifted Agatha up in his arms. Garrus laughed softly and watched them leave.

"I need to go over what Keiji's grey box shows me," Kasumi said. "Um…thank you. For helping me get it back."

"You're welcome," Robert nodded.

"Would you give them a drop of blood?" John asked.

"Let me go over the memories from Keiji first. After that…well…I'll see about what I can do," she said. They all nodded and walked back into the main house to see out the rest of the small party event. In the bedroom, Agatha was in complete awe of the view outside the window. On noticing how taken she was with it, the hive mind would replicate the image for her main home, but they would improve it. They always gave her the very best. She deserved no less.


	23. Chapter 23

Jack was restless. She wanted to head back to her place of torment. She wanted to blow it up to a point that she could feel the debris passing by her, as she was whisked away to safety. She was tired of waiting. She wanted it done. _Now._

She charged over to where Agatha and Alex were residing on Olympus. She waited two days after they claimed the new home. She needed a form of action. The moment the group left to rejoin with the ship, Jack was pouncing on them.

"I need something fucking done!" she said in a rushed way. She charged into the room, and she found herself staring at the sheer wealth that seemed to drip from the viral walls. Plush hangings, woven tapestries, chandeliers made of crystal and gold, and long oak tables filled with food and drink were placed tastefully around the room. Even more was the giant thresher maw head seated right over the throne as a true display of ferocity and strength of the viral mind.

Then she paused at the sight of Agatha. Her tentacled hair was stretched out and draped over a circular throne of gold in no true pattern. The white gown she wore looked like nothing more than stitched straps that seemed to lay over her body in a lazy way. Alex was holding her in his laps. She looked rather irritated. And very bored.

"And, what is all of this for?" Agatha frowned.

"You're royalty. This is our new throne room. Suck it up," he smirked, adjusted them in the red velvet cushion, and looked down at Jack. "Hey. What's up?"

"I'm fucking sick and tired of waiting around!" Jack growled.

"Oh, good! So was I," Agatha chuckled. "We were actually on our way to Omega. Your memories revealed that some of your…friends…may be hanging out there. We were hoping to find them and let them tag along for the ride."

"So…you were already…working on…?" Jack blinked. "Fuck…"

"Yep!" Alex grinned. "One stop for them. Return trip for you and anyone else we're allied with. So, don't get your thong too far up your ass. We're working on your little problem right now. If you're bored, we are setting up a nice little shooting gallery that you can help us test. And, yeah, we can use live ammunition. Or just your biotics. Whatever works."

"Won't it hurt the ship?" Jack asked.

"Olympus is alive and always evolving. In many ways, you can help us test how sensitive its flesh is against this," Agatha said. "It will evolve to withstand interior attacks."

"You know what could be even better? Have it become the fucking targets," Jack grinned.

"Become the targets?" Agatha asked.

"Yeah. I mean, fuck! Don't make fucking fake units. Let the ship be the real targets. It can make different scenarios using different body and build types. Throw them at us, and it can learn how we fuck it up by defending and attacking from the inside. What do you think?" she asked. "I'll even use my most powerful shit against it, too."

"That's fine. Oh! Make sure you go to where the little events are for entertainment. We just got Harkin to board up. Garrus wants to shove him off the bungee cord ride first. If you want to experience the best rush of your life, get over there and watch," Alex snickered. She chuckled at that idea, and she even gave Spike a fond back scratching when it lumbered over to her for affection. After that, she decided to see what the fuss was about.

"Okay," Thanatos snickered and removed the blindfold from Harkin's head. "You are now standing inside our new ship. It's called Olympus. And this ship is alive and well. No, it's not an AI. It's a living ship. And, you see that little ride of joy? You get to try it out first!"

"What?!" the man growled. Then he paled at how high up the drop was. "Fuck that!"

"Sorry, the ship doesn't have that service yet," he giggled. The platform they stood on now shifted and moved them up to the top. Hermanubis was waiting with Sigyn, and a drone was quick to grab Harkin to let them bind his feet to the elastic cabling.

"You'll have so much fun!" Sigyn beamed. Harkin was about to retaliate, but he suddenly stared at the sight of Garrus walking over to regard him.

"Hi. I'm here to help you test this out. It was an agreement," the turian smirked.

"And how are you gonna do that? Kiss me good-bye?" Harkin growled.

"Even better," Garrus seemed to grin and shoved him off the ledge. Harkin screamed, as he fell in a free fall from over four stories high to reach the rushing viral ground below him. Just when he got within a foot of kissing the floor, he was suddenly yanked back up by the cords. From afar, Jack was actually laughing her ass off from the girlish screams coming from the man. She was coughing and wiping away tears from how hard she was laughing when it was done.

"Very nice. It works," Thanatos mused from where he now waited at the bottom. Harkin was dangling like a twitching fish out of water from where he hung ten feet from the ground. He was released of the straps by several drones and caught by a lesser version of Robin. Once set on his feet, he turned around just to get sucker-punched by Garrus. He collapsed to the ground in a mild daze. It was going to take him a while to recover.

"That's not part of the ride," Sigyn grinned wickedly at him from where she jumped down.

"No. But it made me feel better. And I had fun doing it, too," Garrus chuckled and walked away. That got Hermanubis laughing at the whole thing.

"I'm glad he's with us!" Tethys giggled and got squeezed by Thanatos. "So, we get to play on Omega next? How exciting!"

"I know! Ah! Hermanubis, you and Sigyn need to go over to Lelantos. He has a few giant Hunters in small gift boxes," Thanatos grinned. The breeder male saluted the King and was quickly off to help out in the delivery task.

"Aren't you a pussy?" Jack smirked at Harkin when he came around. "You know what? Fuck it. I wanna try this thing. Can I?"

"Sure!" Thanatos grinned widely. Olympus was able to raise up the platform she was on, and she stepped off it to let the waiting drones at the top secure her legs to the elastic bands. She stretched out her arms and let herself free-fall all the way down. She had her eyes closed through the whole thing, and she opened them at the feel of herself getting yanked right back out to safety. By the time she was freed and the bouncing was done, she was thinking about the entire thing.

"Is there a limit to do this?" she asked.

"Nope! And allies get free passes," Thanatos winked.

"Cool. I'll want to do that again," she grinned back. "That was fun as fuck!"

"Glad you enjoyed it! Now, the drones did tell me that you were thinking of a 'live action' sort of arena. Yes, that is what you're talking about. Sort of what the Spartans did way back then. They would raise fighters to fight to the death. Winner took all. Some fighters even became famous for it. And, with what you have in mind, we may be able to do something. I want to know more. Can we talk about that?" the King asked. She nodded, and they walked off to discuss what could be done.

At the docking bay, Hermes, Dana, Apollo, Aphrodite, Dionysus and Athena were walking on board. Several drones were quick to reach them to lead them to their new rooms. Another ship docked to have the two sets of viral twins walk out. They were quickly swarmed protectively and escorted away.

"Fuck. They're here…" Alex muttered out from what the drones told him.

"Hmm? Oh! Well, you knew it was inevitable. We should have them all on a planet. Maybe our home on Aite?" Agatha smiled. She waved at Dana when she and Hermes walked in.

"Hello, asshole," Alex muttered at Hermes.

"My Emperor!" Hermes chuckled and nodded back. "Mother! Good to see you again."

"Hello, my son," Agatha smiled and let a couple tendrils of hair move to gently coil about him in greeting. He sighed with a small smile and got poked at by Dana.

"What?" he asked.

"You never give me that look when I hug you," she muttered.

"I give you _other_ looks," he grinned wolfishly at her. Once she started blushing, he scooped her up into his arms to hug her and show that he would never falter his love for her. "Did you like the thresher steaks? I thought you tried some."

"I did. I like the ones with honey the most," she grinned softly.

"As we know," he agreed.

"Dana, as much as I want you and Hermes here, I think I want you at our new home," Alex admitted. "And it's only because I give a shit about you."

"Oh. Joy," Dana rolled her eyes. Hermes cracked a grin at her.

"Don't worry," Agatha laughed softly. "It's a very nice planet. I want someone that we trust to live there first to ensure that the new home looks good. It's also a part of Olympus, too."

"Now that sounds pretty cool!" Dana grinned.

"We also got a new shipment of asari candies," Nick said from where it was waiting nearby.

"I want some!" Dana demanded.

"You will get some," her mate chuckled. "Oh, Mother, ah, Dana might just get pregnant again soon. How was this going to work with you being here and with us needing eggs from you for bonding?"

"Good question," Agatha frowned.

"We'll have the eggs in a secure location. Have your kids, when they come of age, meet up at a destination point. We'll get something done then. Damn. We are going to need more of those specialty eggs made, huh? Okay. I'll need to have Ragland do something about that. Sure, we have plenty of spare eggs in various secured locations all over our Earth. But, we do need to start doing something here now. Damn. Pain in the ass…" he grunted.

"We'll do what we have to do," Agatha soothed him and pressed into his neck. "Now let's get ready for Omega. Should I wear my soldier uniform?"

"No," he growled and lifted her up in his arms. "What you're wearing is just fine."

"It looks like it's ready to simply fall off me!" she argued.

"I'm not complaining," he grinned at her. At her small glare, he sighed. "Fine. You can wear your toga. The one that looks like a fucking bikini."

"That works," she nodded. He set her down for just a moment to let her hair shift about to shield her from view. Several drones now came over with her jewelry and clothing to properly dress her. "I wonder if I should get a one-piece cat suit…"

"Hmm. Possibly," Alex mused at the idea. "As much as your soldier uniform is nice, that's a bit of a relic now. Maybe a stretch suit is good idea. With lots of threading to hold everything in."

"As long as you don't rip it off, right?" she chuckled and got kissed by him.

"We'll fuck when we're done," he said and let her remove her hair from shielding them. He guided her over to where the main doors were, and she noticed that Hermes and Dana were already taken to their room for safety. No one knew what Omega would hold, and she didn't want her most important family members exposed to danger. Spike moved up to her and nudged her hand for a pet.

"Are you ready to go to a new place, Mr. Fluffster?" Agatha crooned out. It snorted and seemed a bit excited. "I'm sure you're ready to fuck up anything that tries to touch me, too…"

It hissed with agreement at that. When they walked past the cargo bay, it paused and swerved itself to snarl at the sound of a larger Hunter in a steel box.

"It's not a pet. It's for distraction," Alex muttered. Spike seemed to relax a bit, but it seemed to give off a sensation that it hated being around other Hunters. They seemed too stupid now.

"How would you like it if your other 'classmates' showed up to help us?" Agatha asked. It gave out a low, guttural growl of intense hatred at that. "And why not? You'd be the one ordering them around, you know. You would know what to do before they do. And, yes, if they don't do their jobs, you can punish them. You'd be the lead in command of them. Isn't that nice? And, don't worry, they won't replace you. If they try, we will send them somewhere else."

It seemed to sigh and accept that bit of information. Now it seemed to swerve at the large holding block for the large Hunter and back at them. It couldn't see, but it was definitely getting a point across. Agatha now asked, "You want to know what it's for?"

At the jittery response it gave to show she guessed the right question, Alex answered for her. "We are going to Omega. A place that's pretty nasty. These guys are gonna be let loose, if we have a problem. They are the distraction. I don't think anything's gonna touch them, but it will be fun."

"If we catch them again, we'll reuse them. If they die, well…then they die," Agatha smiled. Spike snorted with agreement at that and continued to trot along after them.

 _:MY EMPRESS, I INTEND TO ENSURE YOUR SAFETY AT ALL TIMES. ALSO, BEFORE YOU LEAVE, PLEASE HEAD TO THE OBSERVATION DECK.:_ Olympus advised. She looked at Alex, and he nodded to show he would go with her. They were soon settled at the front window with John, Garrus and Robert. None of them knew what was going on.

Then they felt the ship shudder and turn to have them see its tail end. It was slowly separating off. It was able to successfully make a new segment of itself. Once it was developed, it was split from the main ship. After several minutes, it had formed into a whole new ship. Drones were now flocking to it to start inhabiting it and to stock pile it.

"By the Goddess…" Liara said with shock.

"And that's not gonna the last one, I bet," Garrus said with an impressed tone.

"Thanatos, you have a new home now," Alex muttered. The King was there, too, and he looked at him with a touch of dismay.

"Let Lelantos have that one. I like hanging out here with you," he smirked.

 _:My Emperor, allow me to claim that one.:_ Hypnos said.

 _:No. You need to stay on Olympus. The prime ship. No others. As the intelligence of the hive mind, you have to remain here in order to see things through.:_ Alex ordered. _:I'll let Lelantos gain the new ship. Any King that plans to be here will gain a ship. In this war, all of you are my Commanders, Generals, Admirals or whatever the fuck else people report to out here. So, Thanatos, in time, you will need a ship. Don't talk back to me.:_

 _:Yes, my Emperor…:_ Thanatos sighed.

 _:If breeders want to fight in this war, they'll get small hive scout ships.:_ He further ordered.

 _:I wonder if we can make small fighter ships. Like they do in Star Wars!:_ Agatha beamed.

 _:Hera. Fuck you. I hate you. Only because that is a good idea, and I should have thought of it first!:_ He growled out to get her laughing hysterically. He planted a branding kiss on her mouth and thought to the ship. _:Olympus, how long did it take you to make that segment?:_

 _:IT TOOK ME UNDER A WEEK. NOW THAT I KNOW WHAT I MUST DO, IT WILL BE FASTER. I ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER IN PROGRESS.:_ The ship chuckled.

 _:Wonderful! Does the new ship have a name?:_ Agatha asked.

 _:I AM CALLED NAGLFAR.:_ The new ship said in a slightly lighter tone.

 _:Nice! A Norse ship name. Not bad.:_ Alex agreed with a welcoming vibe. _:Will you also be able to make new ships?:_

 _:NOT ONES LIKE MYSELF OR OLYMPUS, BUT I CANMAKE SMALLER ONES.:_ It confirmed.

 _:Good. Let's get to Omega.:_ Alex said. Olympus gave an agreeable vibe and was soon turning to do just that. John was mildly informed on what was discussed by Osiris. At the sight of a small viral ship appearing in the docking bay, Alex was quick to lead Agatha to it with her entourage.

"What's this?" John asked.

"It's one of the new, smaller ships that Olympus made. We're gonna test it out. You can, too, if you want. The Normandy will be safe here," Osiris chuckled.

"Well, I suppose. Omega isn't one I'd want to leave my ship docked at for very long," John admitted. "And, if this ship decides to eat the place, I want to make sure that my ship isn't going to become an appetizer, either."

"Good idea," Alex smirked and let him board onto the small ship.

"Do these ships have names?" John asked.

"I don't think so. It might be too much of a hassle. We can just call it 001 at this point. Just for reference," Agatha shrugged. "They are mildly intelligent. Just enough to get back and forth. Escape from danger or attack. The usual instinctive stuff."

"I see," John nodded.

"What do we hope to do on Omega?" Tali asked when she walked in to sit down. "Oh! These seats are nice! I can actually feel how soft they are!"

"Good. That shows how evolved Olympus is getting. I think it was aiming to show that it can be 'felt' in various ways," Osiris smiled and settled in his chair. Agatha was pleased at how roomy it was for such a small ship. Olympus was already in the process of making a personal vessel just for her and Alex. Once Garrus, Robert, John and Liara settled in, tentacles stretched out to lock them safely into place. As they approached Omega from the quick Mass Relay warp, the small ship was able to shuttle them to the docking bay. Agatha was still dismayed that everything looked like seafood. Omega clearly resembled a giant jellyfish.

"Well, if Olympus or Naglfar get hungry, they can have a snack," Alex snickered. That got Agatha laughing softly at the thought. The two ships were already circling around the floating station.

 _:WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CLOAKED OURSELVES. WE CAN HOLD THIS STATE FOR ONE HOUR WITHOUT DAMAGING OUR RESOURCES.:_ Olympus said confidently.

 _:Excellent. We'll try to be quick.:_ Alex nodded in the link. Another few short minutes later, the small viral shuttle was docking in the main port. There was already a volus looking the small, blue-black vessel over. As the small group got out, the volus stopped them.

"This is…a very nice ship! Very different in look. Is it for sale?" the rotund alien asked.

"No. It's alive. And, when it gets hungry, it will eat you," Osiris smirked. The volus looked at him oddly. That was until the ship grew out a tentacle and tried to grab him. There was even a small mouth that formed to show it was ready to chow down on something, too.

"Ahh!" the alien cringed and backed away quickly. Spike now snorted out its disgust at the volus, and, as though to prove another point that the ship was truly alive, it began to play with the ship by making small mock chases and charges at the tentacle. At the small chuckles given out, Spike gave a friendly nudge to the ship and got poked in the side in return. Agatha smiled and let Spike trot over to her side to show it was ready again.

"Please make sure nothing happens to our ride," Agatha muttered out calmly. Several drones were now on guard duty from where they were lingering on Omega.

"I know Aria. I'll get us an audience with her. She's the main one we need to talk to," John said. "She helped me find Mordin, and I helped out with an illness going on. All from the Collectors."

"Right. Those fuckers. Hmm. Well, we need to at least show off our presence. But, I do have to ask this. Who are you fighting for?" Alex asked John, as they walked.

"I fight for humanity, as well as all the races that live with us in what peace and harmony they have. And, as far as I see it, Cerberus did bring me back. But, I don't work for them. I'm with the Alliance through and through. I'm just on a leash right now until I can get it cut," John muttered. At how Alex was giving him a thoughtful look, he asked, "What?"

"We can still make a clone of you, get a drone to possess it, and have the drone take your place with Cerberus…" Alex started to suggest. John shook his head.

"Not yet. I need to see a few things through first. Then…well…maybe. We talked about this before," John said, as they approached the building called Afterlife.

"Didn't that batarian we…befriended…tell us about this?" Agatha asked.

"He did. Honestly, I don't care," Alex smirked at her. She chuckled back and let him pull her close, as they walked in. "If you need to be a bitch, then I don't care."

"Good to know," she murmured back to him. At first, several various bouncers tried to stop them. John rose up a hand to show that they were with him.

"It's fine. I would like to introduce some new friends to Aria. They may be as beneficial to her as they are for me," John said. At this, the bouncers seemed to relent, but they were wary. At the sight of Agatha in her finery, many of them seemed to stammer. She simply took one look at the club and grumbled to herself. _My club would be_ much _better than this!_ It would definitely be seen to.

"It's her! That Empress!" a bouncer hissed.

"Oh, great…" another seemed to grimace. Spike hissed out its hatred at them all, but Agatha clucked her tongue to have it follow her. She always arrived on somewhat peaceful terms. As much as Alex consoled her, he knew she was always on edge when it came to new places that weren't run by her family. _After the wonderful greetings she's had so far, it couldn't be helped._ It was also why Spike was on edge. It sensed her distress.

"Pay no attention to them, Mr. Fluffster," Agatha said in a very low tone. It snorted and continued to follow her and Alex. She walked up to where a blue-skinned asari woman was sitting on a couch. She had a few odd markings on her face, but it was likely to show her family lineage. Only she would know. At the sight of Agatha, though, she gave a look of mistrust. Agatha actually respected that. She was already doing the same thing to Aria.

"Aria, I'd like to introduce you to some friends of mine. This is Emperor Alex and Empress Agatha. They are the rulers of a fairly powerful viral hive mind that has recently come into existence. I felt that you needed to meet with them," John said in a respectful way to her.

"Charmed," Agatha nodded. She was a touch surprised at the title he gave her, but it was all true.

"So…why come to me?" Aria asked in a bored tone.

"Because my family has been getting supplies from here. We figured that introduction is in order. We also like to help keep the peace. My kids done eat, sleep or shit. We hire them out as guards. We can also trade their services for information or supplies," Alex said.

"My boys are plenty," Aria smirked. Then she paused at how twenty drones suddenly uncloaked all around them. Alex grinned rather savagely.

"I doubt your boys can do this," Agatha chuckled. "Hidden body guards. Not bad, eh?"

"Do you plan to take over my home?" Aria asked in a dangerous way.

"What? Nah!" Alex smirked. "We have plenty of homes now. We are only here to do business directly with you. That's it. We're just showing that we're in the neighborhood. You do business with us, we'll do business with you. As much as we like dealing with locals, we prefer to go to the ones in charge. It's just our way. So, we'll be going now. If you accept any trades we offer, we can keep a drone around. We can hear everything through it. It's how we work."

"You don't look so dangerous," Aria smirked.

"My family likes to kill threshers for fun," Agatha grinned. Spike hissed its dislike, and she ran a hand over its back. "And this little pet of mine can get several times larger. In fact, we brought one of the larger ones to show you. Would you like to see it?"

"What?!" Aria asked with a touch of rage.

"We brought it for show and tell," Agatha said and turned calmly to walk away. "We won't let it get out of control. Or, if you like, if you know anyplace that's out of control, we can let it loose there…"

"You are asking for my permission to let you reign Hell in my home?!" she asked with outrage.

"We could just…do it," Alex shrugged. "We're playing nice."

"Besides, my children told me just now that the Blood Pack is rallying to storm this place. Do you want to see what all we can do?" Agatha asked calmly. When the asari turned to nod to her closest bruiser to try and take out Agatha, he found himself lifted into the air with a tentacle of her hair. "A shame. Really. So fucking pathetic…"

"Don't turn him into an example," Garrus said.

"But…why not?" she frowned at him.

"We are here to enjoy ourselves. Maybe kill a few mercs. You know? Some down time! Trust me. Just put him down," the turian chuckled. John was just shaking his head with disbelief at all of this. Even Liara and Tali looked rather perplexed on what they were witnessing. She sighed and dropped the batarian bouncer to let him hit the ground rather hard. When Aria began to charge up her biotics, Alex gave her a rather intense grin.

"Yes. Hit us with your power. We'll evolve from it and counter-attack you easily. Go ahead. I dare you," he snickered. He loved egging her on! As irritated as Agatha was, he knew that anything exposed to them would be learned about, and the hive mind would definitely evolve to withstand it and use it for themselves. When Aria lunged, Agatha's hair formed its spiked shield. Aria saw this just before it was too late and was able to stop herself. She wasn't planning on getting herself impaled!

"My turn…!" Agatha hissed out and let her hair launch out at the woman. "I didn't come here to fight. I didn't come here to be disrespected. I came here to make a neutral alliance with you. One force of power to cooperate with another. You're a hard-assed bitch like me, and I thought we could form a pact of neutrality. The fucking Citadel asked me to show up, and I got fucking guns in my face! Alex, I'm fucking done with playing nice! I'm done visiting new places! I want to go home."

"Wait!" Aria said quickly before the tentacles snagged her. She sensed the power in the female before her, and she was rather curious. "You said you got guns pulled on you? When you were invited?"

"Yes. I did," Agatha nodded and kept her hair on alert. "We came to help support with food and protection means, and then we got slapped with a load of bullshit. The same thing is happening right now. If we really wanted to wage war, our ships would have started to eat your home. Yes. Our homes devour planets and other shit. Our ships evolve from what they eat. You want support? We can give it to you. We offered to show you what we can do. We still are, too. We aren't here to take over your home. We can defend it, if we have a cooperative alliance. It's all we ask for."

"I see what you mean. Fine. Let me see what you've got," the asari woman grunted out and stood up when Agatha's hair retreated. She wasn't going to admit that they got off on the wrong foot. "And what the fuck are you?"

"A viral mutation that will eventually evolve and grow to expand all over this galaxy. We don't discriminate on who we attack or protect, but, as long as we are on the same page of respect, we can get along just fine. I get it that you had to test us. To see how serious we were. I can understand that. I can respect that. Just don't underestimate us. I already have two ships waiting for me just outside of Omega's main space that are getting hungry for food," Agatha muttered. At Aria's look of doubt, she smirked. "Don't believe me? Heh. Are you able to see a screen that shows what's lingering outside this space? If you don't, we can set up something."

"Does it look like I have the time to set that shit up? Much less the resources to do such a thing?" Aria seemed to scowl at her. Agatha now had several drones that were already setting up a free security system for her. Agatha led them all over to where a new main screen was that showed off the deep space around Omega. If Aria paled at the sight of two massive viral ships uncloaking, she gave no sign of it. Stony silence was all she gave them. The way the ships circled the station resembled sharks waiting for prey. They were ready to attack.

 _:Olympus and Naglfar. Please stand down for now.:_ Agatha ordered gently.

 _:YES, MY EMPRESS.:_ The ships responded as one and seemed to relax. Aria seemed to let out a hissing sigh of disbelief. She saw they were definitely alive by how the ships moved and snapped their massive jaws. She couldn't believe what was being shown to her at all. Then she looked at Agatha.

"You said the Blood Pack was becoming a problem?" Aria asked.

"Yes. We can take care of it. We can install cameras all around for you to watch how we work. We can even give you a small command center just for this, if you like," Osiris nodded. "We can even give you this one that we just made. It will be easy to maintain, and our drones will monitor it to alert you at any time."

"This seems too fucking good to be true. Just don't double-cross me!" Aria warned.

"Don't double-cross us, either. We'll be in good standing," Agatha nodded regally.

"So, how strong are you?" Aria had to ask.

"I was ready to rip apart your bodyguard like a pull-apart toy," she grinned a touch wickedly. The batarian in question shifted nervously. "I can also control anything with just my hair. I proved that with the Citadel. Anyways, I want to see our giant Hunter in action already. Don't you?"

"Hunter?" Aria frowned. Agatha pointed to Spike.

"It's what we call them. But, the one we brought is _much_ bigger. And very stupid," Alex chuckled. "Ah! There's the crate!"

"That's a crate?" Aria asked at the sight of the massive steel crate being delivered from another hive transport ship. At the sound of something heavy snoring inside it, she gave a small shiver. It was currently drugged up to keep it comatose.

"Don't worry. We know where to let it loose. We'll even let them open it up!" Thanatos beamed. "Hermanubis is all over that."

"So I see…" Agatha nodded. Drones were following the crate, along with several cameras. It was carefully set down along a patrol path where the Blood Pack made routine passes. A nice, shiny red button was seen on the crate. Over top of it, it said 'Do Not Touch'. Aria looked a touch amused at this. The moment the button was pressed, it would deliver a sedative to wake it up. It was much like they did before with the Presidential elections.

The drones cloaked and set up the cameras all over the area. Two krogan did come through the alleyway the Hunter box was hidden. Both of them looked at each other. Then back at the button. One of them snorted laughter and pressed it. The drug was administered to the Hunter. The horrifying scream of it waking up was heard next.

Aria watched it slam itself into the door of the crate, and it caused the solid steel door to fall open and right onto the unsuspecting krogan mercenaries. Then she watched it howl with rage and draw the attention of every single Blood Pack mercenary in the area.

"Won't they kill it?" she asked.

"Bullets…eh…just piss it off…" Alex grinned sadistically. Her jaw actually dropped a bit at how it neatly slashed through every single krogan mercenary in its path. It charged at any steel tank that showed up. It was a complete living machine of mass destruction.

"I think it's having fun," Agatha chuckled. "Make sure to lure it right into their base."

"They're doing that for it," Nick pointed out. Spike gave a bored yawn and nudged Agatha to let her sit up on its back. Then it began to move off with her. Nick narrowed its eyes at this. "What are you doing, Spike? Bring her back over here!"

"Spike?" Alex asked with a small frown.

"What's wrong?" Agatha asked. It snorted and bolted with her.

"You fucker! Get back here!" Alex seethed and ran after it. Aria looked up and paused at how fast the trio simply vanished. Thanatos looked over at Robert and John.

"We'll be fine here. Go help them," Robert nodded.

"He's right," John agreed. Thanatos needed no further convincing and chased after his mother and Emperor. He found himself sitting on a ledge with Alex a moment later.

"What's happening?" the King asked.

"Apparently," Alex sighed. "Spike wants to help prove why people can't fuck with your mother. So, it took her straight to the fight."

"What?" Thanatos frowned. "Spike decided that? How did it tell you?"

"It's giving off sensations now. I don't like it. I really. Really. Don't like it. But, so far, it's loyal to Agatha. And to me. It helps keep her happy. Not much else to say about. She'll protect it for as long as it obeys her wishes. Kinda sucks," Alex moped a bit.

"But, I think it's on to something. We need to record something for people to see in this galaxy," Thanatos thought aloud. Now Alex looked at him. "Sure, we have the old recording of her on our Earth. But, no one knows about that place, right? Everyone knows this place. Let it help her prove herself here. It's not like she's gonna need our help, anyways."

"Fuck. I hate it when you make sense!" Alex sighed and stood up. "I should at least be at her side as an equal. You know how she can get if I'm not there, and she's in a killing mood for too long."

"Yep! Go forth, my Emperor! I'll be nearby," Thanatos nodded. Alex flipped him off as his form of 'see you later' and jumped down to speed off to get to Agatha. When he got there, he crossed his arms over his chest. She already had her hair reaching into the large Hunter to rip it out from the inside.

"You're late," she frowned.

"Sorry. Thanatos wanted to chat," he chuckled and walked over to her. At the sight of Spike, he glared at it mildly. "I see what you did. But, I'm still pissed off at you. Behave yourself."

It gave a small nod and waited for Agatha to finish killing off the rival Hunter. When it was done, she looked at Alex. "What do we do now?"

"We still have a list of people to find for Jack," he said.

"That we do! Okay. Let's find them," she smiled, let him kiss her passionately and lead her away. In the Afterlife club, Aria was mildly shaking at what she witnessed. John now walked over to her and sighed softly. He knew she had to be shown the true force of the viral hive. _This did it._

"Now you see exactly why I haven't been pissing them off. That woman scares the shit out of even me. So far, they keep their word to help those who help them. Pick your fight. Carefully," he growled out in her ear. "They have been evolving to withstand biotics. I'm very happy that you didn't use your powers on them. They aren't human. I don't know what they are. But, they seem to mean well."

"For now," Aria muttered.

"Yeah. For now," John nodded. Then he turned to look at the group with him. "Let's go. We have a place to visit for Jack."

"That we do," Osiris nodded. "And, Aria, if you need any assistance with anything, we'll leave a few drones here. Just say what you want. We'll hear it. Just don't tell us to leave. I doubt it will happen. Remember that."

Right after they left, Aria screamed her rage and turned to use her biotics against one of her couches. That could be replaced. Her new control center would be harder to replace. She'd have to ask for their help. She really didn't want to do that right now.


	24. Chapter 24

John landed on the planet that housed the hidden batarian base. He managed to pick his way through it. He was really glad the drones were there. They helped him get past various obstacles rather easily, and he was able to rescue the doctor that was being held hostage against her will. He inched his way into the small base, and one of the drones uncloaked.

"Wait here. We will scout ahead for you. We have natural heat vision. We can also light the path for you," it nodded. John nodded back. He hated to admit that Alex was right in sending the drones. At the confirming signal to join up, John was able to move forward. New plans and schematics were handed over when found, and it took a good hour for them to find the chamber the doctor was held in. As they neared it, several batarian guards were found. Three were quickly taken over as a disguise.

"Not bad," John smiled.

"Let us pretend that you are our prisoner. It will make this faster. We will keep others from taking you, too," a drone suggested. They didn't bind him up, but they had guns out. One drone would walk ahead first to clear the path. The others would play pretend until the room was adequately cleared of guards. It was a very effective and neatened path that they did.

 _:Kids, listen up. Olympus is now in this system and cloaked. So is Naglfar. The moment we find out what's up, we are moving in. Say nothing.:_ Alex ordered them in the link.

 _:Yes, my Emperor.:_ The drones agreed. When they approached the woman, a drone said, "You save her without us. It will avoid suspicion. We will cloak."

"Understood!" John agreed before moving to the woman to free her. "Dr. Amanda Kenson? Are you all right? Can you walk?"

"Yes. I'm all right," she sighed with relief and pulled herself from the torture chair she was in. "I can move. We don't have much time! I'll explain everything when we get back to my base."

"I can understand that," John agreed, and they worked their way back out. The drones had already cleared out everything for them.

"This is odd. There were a lot more guards than this!" she frowned. "But, if they're gone, I won't complain too much. Let's just get out of here. We're running out of time."

"What exactly did you find?" he asked.

"I can't tell you here. I have to show you," she said. John only nodded, and they managed to find their way out. He was taken to where a small shuttle was, and it was quickly boarded. The drones were calmly locked onto the outside of the craft and carried off easily. When they got to the destination base, they were quick to jump off silently and start to scout the interior of the base. What they found, they sent to the hive mind.

The ancient Reaper device didn't detect the drones at all. The viral hive was considered a new species, and they were completely scanned over without a trace. Even more was the discovery of the giant boulder being led directly towards the Mass Relay in this system to destroy it. It was called the Alpha Relay to show it was the very first Relay that was part of the chain through the Milky Way. The plan was to use the boulder to destroy the Relay to keep the Reapers back. On hearing bits and pieces of a new plot, they realized there was something seriously wrong.

 _:Take over someone!:_ Agatha ordered quickly. One of the drones was quick to act to glean more information for them. _:This is bad! We have to do something! John is walking right into a trap!:_

 _:You think he is?:_ Alex frowned in the link.

 _:Love, think about it. There is a Reaper beacon in his proximity. The memories show that he will have only two days to do something. That thing is calling the Reapers! I mean, they say the boulder is to destroy the Relay, but, with the way that woman has been acting lately…well…I have a very bad feeling about this. We need to help him!:_ She insisted. Alex frowned hard at this.

 _:Let's see what John does first. Then we shall assist.:_ Hypnos suggested. _:Also, if removing that Relay needs to happen, I would HIGHLY suggest we all evacuate from Olympus in case something happens. It may need to take out that Relay, and we don't know how it will affect it. Also, if destroying the Relay needs to be done, there are innocent batarian people in this area, too. We'll need to see about evacuating them. Think about it.:_

 _:Damn! We just got comfortable, but it makes sense. Okay. Olympus, what do you think?:_ Alex asked the ship directly. Even now, he was moving with Agatha to where the small ship was to get transported off Olympus for complete safety.

 _:I AM SECURING ALL LOOSE ITEMS WITHIN MY FLESH. NOTHING WILL BE LOST, IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME. ALL WILL BE JETTISONED OUT THROUGH A SMALL OFFSHOOT OF MYSELF. IF ALL IS WELL, IT SHALL BE AS THOUGH NOTHING WAS TOUCHED. I AM READY TO DO WHATEVER I MUST TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE HIVE MIND.:_ The ship said to them all in the link. Its drone was already with Agatha and Alex. A part of it would survive this way, too, and it may be able to rebuild itself if something happened.

In the base, John was led to the artifact. He saw he had only two days left to warn the batarian people about the catastrophe about to happen. He didn't expect to get knocked out by Amanda when he voiced this fact. The moment that happened, the drones appeared to assist.

"What are they?!" a scientist shrieked, as a drone neatly tore apart one of the other workers.

"No! Stop them! They'll ruin everything!" Amanda howled.

"But, aren't we supposed to stop the Reapers from coming?" a young girl asked. At the sight of the gun being pointed at her, the woman gave a cold smile.

"No. We want them here. They will help us purge the unworthy ones from this galaxy!" she said in a revered, hopeful way. Now a drone looked at her with a smirk.

"You have been indoctrinated," the drone said in a point-blank way.

"That's not true!" she argued and aimed the gun at it.

"We cannot be harmed by bullets. Or by any other means that you have. Please stop resisting," the drone said calmly and walked over to her. She panicked and fired off several shots. Her jaw dropped that no damage happened. She moved to run, but found herself in the arms of another drone. Then she was knocked out. _:My Emperor, what do we do?:_

 _:I'm sending out drones right now to start evacuating any innocent batarians in this region. Hypnos called that shot. Shepard's gonna owe me big time!:_ Alex snorted. _:Lelantos, get your ass down there and help! Hermanubis! Osiris! Get the fuck down to the main planet! Also, contact Silus. He's our main non-viral contact for the batarians. He can vouch for everything. We are on a time limit now.:_ Alex grounded out. Drone ships were now evacuated out. Within the hour, Silus was making emergency evacuation messages to everywhere in the Bahak system. The viral hive was going to be seen as a bit of an ally to them after this, but they didn't care. They'd still cut down anything that went wrong or got in their way. This still included the slaving ring.

It took the rest of the day, but the batarians were successfully evacuated to a nearby system. The drones combed over every part of each major section to evacuate any living body they could. Drone transport ships were made swiftly, and both large viral ships were nearly depleted of resources by the time it was done. But, it was worth the payoff. If everything was untouched by the time it was over, they would be returned as quickly as they were removed.

"Silus is gonna want to see you," Alex muttered. She had just finished giving birth to his drones, so he was glad she was egg free now for what was happening. He knew that Robert and Garrus should be with her, but this was too much of a mess to deal with. She'd need him again later.

"I know. After this is over, we will let him," she nodded. He sighed, but he also watched everything through the eyes of the small ship he was in. All of the eggs she made were also with them from a quick transport move, and she kept a close watch on what was going to happen next.

 _:My Emperor, this female is delusional! She keeps ranting on and on about the Reapers being our saviors! Can I kill her and call it a casualty of war?:_ Thanatos moped. He was put on guard duty over the doctor. Alex barked out laughter at him and gave a mental shake of his head.

 _:Ask what John thinks.:_ Agatha advised. _:We did bring him back around, didn't we?:_

 _:We did. I'll ask him.:_ Thanatos agreed. A moment later, he was chiming back in. _:She needs to be brought in for questioning and treatment. We'll keep her under lock and key. What do we do about the Relay? We can't just leave it!:_

 _:True. Okay, Olympus. It's time for you to see if you can get back your resources! The dinner bell has officially rung for you.:_ Alex grinned a touch wickedly. Agatha chuckled and let him pull her against him a bit more. Olympus's drone seemed to have its eyes closed to be completely in sync with the main ship. It needed all of its focus for this.

First it circled the Relay calmly to see how it was going to attempt to strike. It was clearly old. Much older than any of the others. _And now it was going to cause a threat to every living thing in the known galaxy._ The ship just barely dwarfed over the massive Relay. It was going to be a challenge to eat it. Olympus eyed the massive core made of element zero. It made its target, opened its massive jaws and lunged for the glowing, circulating core. It just barely managed to fit its mouth over it to clamp down shut. Then it felt the explosion of raw energy in its mouth next.

It was quick to adapt and pull in every ounce of that energy. This energy could have destroyed everything around it. _It couldn't be set free._ Now Olympus began to feel overloaded and in danger of collapsing internally. It did the only other thing it could do. It began to make new ships.

 _:My Emperor…:_ Hypnos said with a bit of shocked disbelief. _:We now have ten ships…:_

 _:WHAT?!:_ Alex gaped physically and mentally.

 _:It was the only thing it could do! And it's still…it's still…making more…:_ Hypnos said with a cringe of complete excitement. Agatha was in just as much shock. In order for Olympus to maintain the overflow of resources, it had to do the one thing it knew it could do to work with this unique situation. It simply made new segments in a rather long line. Those segments broke off and were now fully evolved, working ships. Like a viral plague, it was able to self-replicate itself out quickly. A Mass Relay was now considered a form of super food, and it was quite likely from all the element zero. Alex now had a fleet at his complete command and disposal within ten minutes. And Olympus still had the rest of the Relay to eat. This was just the core that it managed to take out.

Each new ship was able to tear into the rest of the Relay rather safely. They circled it like a pod of killer whales, and the Relay was quickly getting stripped down to nothing. Ship production for scouting, transport and offensive needs were made rather swiftly. Within the hour, he had over two hundred small ships, and Olympus had made five more fully functional command ships. When the Relay was taken care of, several of the new ships moved to take care of the boulder. It was no longer needed, and the resources it gave them would help make new ships.

 _:MY EMPEROR. I AM STILL ALIVE AND WELL. CAN YOU PLEASE COME BACK TO ME?:_ Olympus seemed to sigh with relief when the last of the Relay was demolished.

 _:Big meal?:_ Alex laughed softly. The ship gave an affirmative feeling to get him laughing a bit more. Now he looked at Agatha and said, "Damn! Too bad we had to kill the Relay just to get our fleet. It would have been nice to meet the Reapers head on. What happened to that relic?"

"Good idea. I'm not sure. And I have no idea what that thing is made of, either," she frowned. "But, if the Reapers were made of flesh and machine…"

"And, if that device was dormant until it was ready to call them…heh! Maybe we can set up a trap for them when the time comes! Let's try something," he grinned wickedly and focused into the link. _:Get that device into space. Olympus, I want you to eat it and store it away for when we are ready to use it. Remember that nice little show called Bait Car? Guess what we're gonna do when the time is right…:_

 _:I love it!:_ Lelantos howled with laughter.

 _:Why not now?:_ Thanatos asked.

 _:Because we aren't ready yet.:_ Agatha chuckled to console her blood-thirsty children. _:We need to evolve a little more first. But, don't worry. The moment we are ready, we will know. Now let us focus on getting the batarian people back into their homes.:_

 _:MY EMPRESS, I AM CALLED PANDEMONIUM. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE KING, THANATOS, WITH HIS QUEEN BOARD ME.:_ The new ship said. Thanatos was now on his way with Tethys to make a new home. Twenty new ships were made in total. Alex now had twenty two ships that were ready to start making the galaxy his new bitch.

"What just happened?" John asked when he finally found Agatha and Alex. They all managed to meet up on Olympus again less than an hour later, and Alex was grinning wickedly.

"Olympus ate the Mass Relay. I now have twenty new ships," Alex said. John's face went completely pale. "The batarian sector is safe. We evacuated everyone. You still have that doctor?"

"Yeah. She's busy moping. I need to report to Admiral Hackett. Steven Hackett, that is. He's the one that gave me the mission, as Amanda is a friend of his. He's gonna want to meet you," John frowned. "And, I'm sure he's gonna want to meet your new ships."

"That's fine. We'll accommodate him. Ah! Silus! How good to see you," Agatha nodded at the batarian Captain. He bowed regally to her and stood up tall after that.

"The batarians are in your debt. I know you'll do what you can about the slavers, but, if you tell us to back down from something, then we will," Silus said.

"John wanted to say something to your people, too, but he was detained," Agatha frowned. "As a human, he did want to help those innocent to this attack of disgust."

"I shall make good to note his name to show that not all humans are faulty," Silus agreed. "I'm sure that not many will agree with me, but, if you show that all is well, they may be swayed to accept it."

"Good," Agatha nodded elegantly. "Also…"

"Yes?" the batarian asked.

"How would you feel about gaining the woman of your dreams? Not with me, but with one that I can make for you? The trade-off is simple. You'll be locked to our hive mind, gain a shot of my blood, and we'll know where you are for the rest of your life. But, you'll get to come along for the ride, so to speak, with a female of your subconscious desires. What do you think?" Agatha smiled.

"Seriously?" Alex asked her.

"I think he's earned it," she shrugged. He chuckled at that and nodded.

"I…I would be honored!" Silus said with a revered bow.

"Good! Remain here for now. When the time comes, you will be called for," she said. She turned to look over at Garrus and she smiled. "How are you doing?"

"I'm restless," he admitted. "We have all these cool new toys, and we're not playing with them yet? I mean…"

"I thought you were all about honor and order," Alex mused aloud.

"I am when I know I'm not gonna get caught about it," the turian smirked. That had Alex snickering. "Hell, I'd have a lot more fun playing with mercs on Omega like I did before."

"Your kids can't help you with that?" she grinned.

"I'd rather be the one doing the killing," he admitted. Alex only chuckled with that reasoning.

"Well, Jack did give us an idea on using real targets instead of fake ones. Much like gladiators of the old days, and they can lose their lives if not careful," Agatha said. Garrus now looked at her oddly. "You don't have to participate, but you could sponsor a fighter."

"I can see a few krogans trying their luck at this. You should take this up with Wrex," he suggested. That would be done easily, and now Alex looked over to see John escorting Amanda with a couple of drone guards.

"I want Admiral Hackett to meet with me on the Normandy first. Then I'll let him meet with the two of you. I want him to see her condition first," John said and gestured to the restrained doctor. "She's still under the effects of that relic. By the way, where is it?"

"It's gonna get eaten by Olympus. As to why, simple. If the Reapers can be drawn to a signal, why not let them get drawn in to us first?" Alex asked with a small grin. John found himself nodding at that idea. "I have a whole fucking fleet now that's still gonna grow and evolve. When I know we're ready, we'll be the ones to hit the 'fuck you' button."

"We still need to track down the Collectors. They're still kidnapping colonists. Do you think that, with what we have now, we can do this?" John asked.

"It's possible. But, we need to know for sure where they are. I'm not gonna endanger my family over this. Granted, I may be able to, but it's not my way. I like to conserve what I know I can. Then I'll go ahead and let my little monsters out all over where they need to go. As for the beacon, I would keep that under wraps. If anyone finds out that I have it, I might be seen as a target. We plan to use it to eliminate the Reapers. There was also something that one of my drones leaked to me from the scientists they had to kill and consume to help you," Alex said carefully. "A Crucible…?"

"It's an ancient prothean device. We're still learning about it. We have no idea what it is, or what it does. We might find more answers at the Collector base. I honestly don't know what else we can do," John said with a touch of loss. "All I hear is that the Mass Four Relay in Omega may be the only way to tell what's going on. It's where they seem to come from."

"If we can find out when the next colony is gonna be hit, we can get out there. That Reaper relay didn't even catch my kids. We're not anything they've ever seen, so they have no idea we exist. I want to use that to our advantage. And, I want to know what's past that faulty Relay. I'll have to send my own scouts out to check for me," Alex muttered. At the feel of Agatha placing her hand on his arm, Alex looked at her with a small glance.

"I want to speak with you," she whispered softly for him to hear. He nodded and walked off a bit with her. Now she pulled him close and kissed him passionately. When it was done, she said, "I need you to fuck me silly first. Then we'll get the kids out to scout around."

"You think so?" he mumbled and let her kiss him again.

"I do. I also want to get pregnant before meeting with his Admiral. You know how protective everything gets when I'm pregnant," she smiled. He chuckled and looked over at John.

"My mate's horny. So am I. Go and meet with your Admiral. You'll have an hour to kinda…let him know about us. It should give you plenty of time to talk to him," Alex said and pulled Agatha into his arms to fully carry her off. "You're getting lighter…"

"I did say you were getting more muscle," she said softly. Now he sensed the worry. He rushed them to their bedroom and set her on the reinstalled bed. Olympus had placed everything back like it said it would. Now Alex looked at her with concern. "The last time you took in cells, they were your own. I had to kill them to fix you. What you did to yourself now…I don't know if it will change you. I don't know if I can fix it again. I just…"

"Hera…" he said in a gentle, gruff way to get her attention. "I feel nothing wrong with me. You will know, if something is wrong. No matter what, you came from me. I am a part of you. And you are always a part of me. Do you sense that something is wrong with me?"

"Zeus…" she sighed. "There is _always_ something wrong with you."

"Okay, I deserved that answer," he said with a roll of his eyes to get her giggling. "What I'll do is this. To ease your mind, I'll get myself checked out by Ragland the moment I can."

"Okay," she smiled and squealed when he fully pounced her. Now that he was consoling her, John was talking extensively with an older man in uniform on the Normandy.

"So…what happened to the Relay? It's like it was never there! How can something that's been there for over fifty thousand years suddenly vanish?" the Admiral asked.

"Because it was eaten," John said calmly. Now the man looked at him like he was off his rocker. "Follow me. I'll show you what I mean."

John led the honorable man to a viewing window. Then he saw Joker walking over. "Hey. Um…oh! You're busy."

"It's fine Joker. Did you see what happened?" John asked.

"Ah, yeah! I mean, we were out in space when Olympus split itself! So freaky!" Joker grimaced.

"Olympus?" He frowned. John now motioned him to follow them to an observation deck. Olympus was cloaked. Now it revealed itself. The man paled. Then several more ships revealed themselves. Even more was how Olympus gave a playful wink with one of its eyes at John. That got him laughing a bit at the sense of humor the ship had. He had a feeling that it liked to be a big surprise.

"I'm sure you heard of the new viral race that's been around? The Protoforms? Anyways, you are looking at their ships. These guys ate the Relay to save this sector of batarian space. They also evacuated the populace and returned them after the threat was done. If you want to meet the leaders of the race, well, we have a slight wait to do. They're busy…celebrating the event," John said with a small smile. "They'll be here soon, though."

"They…ate…the Relay…?" Hackett asked.

"Yeah! Oh! EDI recorded the whole thing, too!" Joker beamed.

"She did?" John grinned.

"Well, I kinda suggested it. I mean, stuff like that you just don't see any day, right?" the pilot asked. "It was like…holy shit! We have to record this! Um, sorry, Admiral…for my big mouth…"

"Show me the video, and I'll forgive you for the misconduct," Hackett said. Joker grinned and brought out a small data pad. EDI had already sent the video to it, and now the man watched the entire event. He was awed. He was in shock. He was horrified. "This race…could be our destruction…"

"But, they're not!" Joker said, and John rose up his hand.

"They helped supply us with thresher maw meat. Yeah, they can kill those things. And they do it for fun, too," John said. "Look, even I'm a bit wary of them, but they've shown no harm to me. If it wasn't for them, the Reapers would likely have been here! Amanda knocked me out!"

"What?!" Hackett blinked.

"Joker, go back to the helm. Admiral," John said and waited for Joker to leave. "There was a beacon she found. It indoctrinated her. At first, she wanted to stop the Reapers. Then she wanted them to show up to kill us all."

"Let me see her," he insisted. John nodded and walked him over to the holding cell. At the sight of her through the security camera, he paused. He sensed the change. He pushed on the button to let his voice come through to her. "Amanda?"

"You fool! The Reapers were to cleanse the impure!" she hissed out and lunged at him through the camera. Of course, she couldn't do anything, but he gave a heavy frown.

"She needs help. My men will take her from here," he said.

"I thought so. I mean…even I'm in shock that their ship ate something like that! I'm just…glad they were able to help," John admitted. "Over three hundred thousand batarians could have been killed."

"How were they saved, if I sent you in alone?" he asked.

"Well…they have drones. Soldiers. And they can naturally cloak like those ships can. It's a very long story of how I met them. I told Anderson all about it…"

"But not me?!"

"Would you have believed me?"

"Eh…yeah. Likely not. Well, if we have some time to kill before meeting up with the leaders, you may as well fill me in. I have time. Let's talk in your quarters, shall we?" Hackett suggested. John nodded and led him away. There was a lot to tell him, and there wasn't much time to spare.


	25. Chapter 25

John landed on the planet that housed the hidden batarian base. He managed to pick his way through it. He was really glad the drones were there. They helped him get past various obstacles rather easily, and he was able to rescue the doctor that was being held hostage against her will. He inched his way into the small base, and one of the drones uncloaked.

"Wait here. We will scout ahead for you. We have natural heat vision. We can also light the path for you," it nodded. John nodded back. He hated to admit that Alex was right in sending the drones. At the confirming signal to join up, John was able to move forward. New plans and schematics were handed over when found, and it took a good hour for them to find the chamber the doctor was held in. As they neared it, several batarian guards were found. Three were quickly taken over as a disguise.

"Not bad," John smiled.

"Let us pretend that you are our prisoner. It will make this faster. We will keep others from taking you, too," a drone suggested. They didn't bind him up, but they had guns out. One drone would walk ahead first to clear the path. The others would play pretend until the room was adequately cleared of guards. It was a very effective and neatened path that they did.

 _:Kids, listen up. Olympus is now in this system and cloaked. So is Naglfar. The moment we find out what's up, we are moving in. Say nothing.:_ Alex ordered them in the link.

 _:Yes, my Emperor.:_ The drones agreed. When they approached the woman, a drone said, "You save her without us. It will avoid suspicion. We will cloak."

"Understood!" John agreed before moving to the woman to free her. "Dr. Amanda Kenson? Are you all right? Can you walk?"

"Yes. I'm all right," she sighed with relief and pulled herself from the torture chair she was in. "I can move. We don't have much time! I'll explain everything when we get back to my base."

"I can understand that," John agreed, and they worked their way back out. The drones had already cleared out everything for them.

"This is odd. There were a lot more guards than this!" she frowned. "But if they're gone, I won't complain too much. Let's just get out of here. We're running out of time."

"What exactly did you find?" he asked.

"I can't tell you here. I have to show you," she said. John only nodded, and they managed to find their way out. He was taken to where a small shuttle was, and it was quickly boarded. The drones were calmly locked onto the outside of the craft and carried off easily. When they got to the destination base, they were quick to jump off silently and start to scout the interior of the base. What they found, they sent to the hive mind.

The ancient Reaper device didn't detect the drones at all. The viral hive was considered a new species, and they were completely scanned over without a trace. Even more was the discovery of the giant boulder being led directly towards the Mass Relay in this system to destroy it. It was called the Alpha Relay to show it was the very first Relay that was part of the chain through the Milky Way. The plan was to use the boulder to destroy the Relay to keep the Reapers back. On hearing bits and pieces of a new plot, they realized there was something seriously wrong.

 _:Take over someone!:_ Agatha ordered quickly. One of the drones was quick to act to glean more information for them. _:This is bad! We have to do something! John is walking right into a trap!:_

 _:You think he is?:_ Alex frowned in the link.

 _:Love, think about it. There is a Reaper beacon in his proximity. The memories show that he will have only two days to do something. That thing is calling the Reapers! I mean, they say the boulder is to destroy the Relay, but with the way that woman has been acting lately…well…I have a very bad feeling about this. We need to help him!:_ She insisted. Alex frowned hard at this.

 _:Let's see what John does first. Then we shall assist.:_ Hypnos suggested. _:Also, if removing that Relay needs to happen, I would HIGHLY suggest we all evacuate from Olympus in case something happens. It may need to take out that Relay, and we don't know how it will affect it. Also, if destroying the Relay needs to be done, there are innocent batarian people in this area, too. We'll need to see about evacuating them. Think about it.:_

 _:Damn! We just got comfortable, but it makes sense. Okay. Olympus, what do you think?:_ Alex asked the ship directly. Even now, he was moving with Agatha to where the small ship was to get transported off Olympus for complete safety.

 _:I AM SECURING ALL LOOSE ITEMS WITHIN MY FLESH. NOTHING WILL BE LOST IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME. ALL WILL BE JETTISONED OUT THROUGH A SMALL OFFSHOOT OF MYSELF. IF ALL IS WELL, IT SHALL BE AS THOUGH NOTHING WAS TOUCHED. I AM READY TO DO WHATEVER I MUST TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE HIVE MIND.:_ The ship said to them all in the link. Its drone was already with Agatha and Alex. A part of it would survive this way, too, and it may be able to rebuild itself if something happened.

In the base, John was led to the artifact. He saw he had only two days left to warn the batarian people about the catastrophe about to happen. He didn't expect to get knocked out by Amanda when he voiced this fact. The moment that happened, the drones appeared to assist.

"What are they?!" a scientist shrieked, as a drone neatly tore apart one of the other workers.

"No! Stop them! They'll ruin everything!" Amanda howled.

"But, aren't we supposed to stop the Reapers from coming?" a young girl asked. At the sight of the gun being pointed at her, the woman gave a cold smile.

"No. We want them here. They will help us purge the unworthy ones from this galaxy!" she said in a revered, hopeful way. Now a drone looked at her with a smirk.

"You have been indoctrinated," the drone said in a point-blank way.

"That's not true!" she argued and aimed the gun at it.

"We cannot be harmed by bullets. Or by any other means that you have. Please stop resisting," the drone said calmly and walked over to her. She panicked and fired off several shots. Her jaw dropped that no damage happened. She moved to run, but found herself in the arms of another drone. Then she was knocked out. _:My Emperor, what do we do?:_

 _:I'm sending out drones right now to start evacuating any innocent batarians in this region. Hypnos called that shot. Shepard's gonna owe me big time!:_ Alex snorted. _:Lelantos, get your ass down there and help! Hermanubis! Osiris! Get the fuck down to the main planet! Also, contact Silus. He's our main non-viral contact for the batarians. He can vouch for everything. We are on a time limit now.:_ Alex grounded out. Drone ships were now evacuated out. Within the hour, Silus was making emergency evacuation messages to everywhere in the Bahak system. The viral hive was going to be seen as a bit of an ally to them after this, but they didn't care. They'd still cut down anything that went wrong or got in their way. This still included the slaving ring.

It took the rest of the day, but the batarians were successfully evacuated to a nearby system. The drones combed over every part of each major section to evacuate any living body they could. Drone transport ships were made swiftly, and both large viral ships were nearly depleted of resources by the time it was done. But it was worth the payoff. If everything was untouched by the time it was over, they would be returned as quickly as they were removed.

"Silus is gonna want to see you," Alex muttered. She had just finished giving birth to his drones, so he was glad she was egg free now for what was happening. He knew that Robert and Garrus should be with her, but this was too much of a mess to deal with. She'd need him again later.

"I know. After this is over, we will let him," she nodded. He sighed, but he also watched everything through the eyes of the small ship he was in. All of the eggs she made were also with them from a quick transport move, and she kept a close watch on what was going to happen next.

 _:My Emperor, this female is delusional! She keeps ranting on and on about the Reapers being our saviors! Can I kill her and call it a casualty of war?:_ Thanatos moped. He was put on guard duty over the doctor. Alex barked out laughter at him and gave a mental shake of his head.

 _:Ask what John thinks.:_ Agatha advised. _:We did bring him back around, didn't we?:_

 _:We did. I'll ask him.:_ Thanatos agreed. A moment later, he was chiming back in. _:She needs to be brought in for questioning and treatment. We'll keep her under lock and key. What do we do about the Relay? We can't just leave it!:_

 _:True. Okay, Olympus. It's time for you to see if you can get back your resources! The dinner bell has officially rung for you.:_ Alex grinned a touch wickedly. Agatha chuckled and let him pull her against him a bit more. Olympus's drone seemed to have its eyes closed to be completely in sync with the main ship. It needed all of its focus for this.

First it circled the Relay calmly to see how it was going to attempt to strike. It was clearly old. Much older than any of the others. And now it was going to cause a threat to every living thing in the known galaxy. The ship just barely dwarfed over the massive Relay. It was going to be a challenge to eat it. Olympus eyed the massive core made of element zero. It made its target, opened its massive jaws and lunged for the glowing, circulating core. It just barely managed to fit its mouth over it to clamp down shut. Then it felt the explosion of raw energy in its mouth next.

It was quick to adapt and pull in every ounce of that energy. This energy could have destroyed everything around it. It couldn't be set free. Now Olympus began to feel overloaded and in danger of collapsing internally. It did the only other thing it could do. It began to make new ships.

 _:My Emperor…:_ Hypnos said with a bit of shocked disbelief. _:We now have ten ships…:_

 _:WHAT?!:_ Alex gaped physically and mentally.

 _:It was the only thing it could do! And it's still…it's still…making more…:_ Hypnos said with a cringe of complete excitement. Agatha was in just as much shock. In order for Olympus to maintain the overflow of resources, it had to do the one thing it knew it could do to work with this unique situation. It simply made new segments in a rather long line. Those segments broke off and were now fully evolved, working ships. Like a viral plague, it was able to self-replicate itself out quickly. A Mass Relay was now considered a form of super food, and it was quite likely from all the element zero. Alex now had a fleet at his complete command and disposal within ten minutes. And Olympus still had the rest of the Relay to eat. This was just the core that it managed to take out.

Each new ship was able to tear into the rest of the Relay rather safely. They circled it like a pod of killer whales, and the Relay was quickly getting stripped down to nothing. Ship production for scouting, transport and offensive needs were made rather swiftly. Within the hour, he had over two hundred small ships, and Olympus had made five more fully functional command ships. When the Relay was taken care of, several of the new ships moved to take care of the boulder. It was no longer needed, and the resources it gave them would help make new ships.

 _:MY EMPEROR. I AM STILL ALIVE AND WELL. CAN YOU PLEASE COME BACK TO ME?:_ Olympus seemed to sigh with relief when the last of the Relay was demolished.

 _:Big meal?:_ Alex laughed softly. The ship gave an affirmative feeling to get him laughing a bit more. Now he looked at Agatha and said, "Damn! Too bad we had to kill the Relay just to get our fleet. It would have been nice to meet the Reapers head on. What happened to that relic?"

"Good idea. I'm not sure. And I have no idea what that thing is made of, either," she frowned. "But, if the Reapers were made of flesh and machine…"

"And if that device was dormant until it was ready to call them…heh! Maybe we can set up a trap for them when the time comes! Let's try something," he grinned wickedly and focused into the link. _:Get that device into space. Olympus, I want you to eat it and store it away for when we are ready to use it. Remember that nice little show called Bait Car? Guess what we're gonna do when the time is right…:_

 _:I love it!:_ Lelantos howled with laughter.

 _:Why not now?:_ Thanatos asked.

 _:Because we aren't ready yet.:_ Agatha chuckled to console her blood-thirsty children. _:We need to evolve a little more first. But don't worry. The moment we are ready, we will know. Now let us focus on getting the batarian people back into their homes.:_

 _:MY EMPRESS, I AM CALLED PANDEMONIUM. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE KING, THANATOS, WITH HIS QUEEN BOARD ME.:_ The new ship said. Thanatos was now on his way with Tethys to make a new home. Twenty new ships were made in total. Alex now had twenty two ships that were ready to start making the galaxy his new bitch.

"What just happened?" John asked when he finally found Agatha and Alex. They all managed to meet up on Olympus again less than an hour later, and Alex was grinning wickedly.

"Olympus ate the Mass Relay. I now have twenty new ships," Alex said. John's face went completely pale. "The batarian sector is safe. We evacuated everyone. You still have that doctor?"

"Yeah. She's busy moping. I need to report to Admiral Hackett. Steven Hackett, that is. He's the one that gave me the mission, as Amanda is a friend of his. He's gonna want to meet you," John frowned. "And I'm sure he's gonna want to meet your new ships."

"That's fine. We'll accommodate him. Ah! Silus! How good to see you," Agatha nodded at the batarian Captain. He bowed regally to her and stood up tall after that.

"The batarians are in your debt. I know you'll do what you can about the slavers, but if you tell us to back down from something, then we will," Silus said.

"John wanted to say something to your people, too, but he was detained," Agatha frowned. "As a human, he did want to help those innocent to this attack of disgust."

"I shall make good to note his name to show that not all humans are faulty," Silus agreed. "I'm sure that not many will agree with me, but if you show that all is well, they may be swayed to accept it."

"Good," Agatha nodded elegantly. "Also…"

"Yes?" the batarian asked.

"How would you feel about gaining the woman of your dreams? Not with me, but with one that I can make for you? The trade-off is simple. You'll be locked to our hive mind, gain a shot of my blood and we'll know where you are for the rest of your life. But, you'll get to come along for the ride, so to speak, with a female of your subconscious desires. What do you think?" Agatha smiled.

"Seriously?" Alex asked her.

"I think he's earned it," she shrugged. He chuckled at that and nodded.

"I…I would be honored!" Silus said with a revered bow.

"Good! Remain here for now. When the time comes, you will be called for," she said. She turned to look over at Garrus and she smiled. "How are you doing?"

"I'm restless," he admitted. "We have all these cool new toys, and we're not playing with them yet? I mean…"

"I thought you were all about honor and order," Alex mused aloud.

"I am when I know I'm not gonna get caught about it," the turian smirked. That had Alex snickering. "Hell, I'd have a lot more fun playing with mercs on Omega like I did before."

"Your kids can't help you with that?" she grinned.

"I'd rather be the one doing the killing," he admitted. Alex only chuckled with that reasoning.

"Well, Jack did give us an idea on using real targets instead of fake ones. Much like gladiators of the old days, and they can lose their lives if not careful," Agatha said. Garrus now looked at her oddly. "You don't have to participate, but you could sponsor a fighter."

"I can see a few krogans trying their luck at this. You should take this up with Wrex," he suggested. That would be done easily, and now Alex looked over to see John escorting Amanda with a couple of drone guards.

"I want Admiral Hackett to meet with me on the Normandy first. Then I'll let him meet with the two of you. I want him to see her condition first," John said and gestured to the restrained doctor. "She's still under the effects of that relic. By the way, where is it?"

"It's gonna get eaten by Olympus. As to why, simple. If the Reapers can be drawn to a signal, why not let them get drawn in to us first?" Alex asked with a small grin. John found himself nodding at that idea. "I have a whole fucking fleet now that's still gonna grow and evolve. When I know we're ready, we'll be the ones to hit the 'fuck you' button."

"We still need to track down the Collectors. They're still kidnapping colonists. Do you think that with what we have now, we can do this?" John asked.

"It's possible. But, we need to know for sure where they are. I'm not gonna endanger my family over this. Granted, I may be able to, but it's not my way. I like to conserve what I know I can. Then I'll go ahead and let my little monsters out all over where they need to go. As for the beacon, I would keep that under wraps. If anyone finds out that I have it, I might be seen as a target. We plan to use it to eliminate the Reapers. There was also something that one of my drones leaked to me from the scientists they had to kill and consume to help you," Alex said carefully. "A Crucible…?"

"It's an ancient prothean device. We're still learning about it. We have no idea what it is, or what it does. We might find more answers at the Collector base. I honestly don't know what else we can do," John said with a touch of loss. "All I hear is that the Mass Four Relay in Omega may be the only way to tell what's going on. It's where they seem to come from."

"If we can find out when the next colony is gonna be hit, we can get out there. That Reaper relay didn't even catch my kids. We're not anything they've ever seen, so they have no idea we exist. I want to use that to our advantage. And I want to know what's past that faulty Relay. I'll have to send my own scouts out to check for me," Alex muttered. At the feel of Agatha placing her hand on his arm, Alex looked at her with a small glance.

"I want to speak with you," she whispered softly for him to hear. He nodded and walked off a bit with her. Now she pulled him close and kissed him passionately. When it was done, she said, "I need you to fuck me silly first. Then we'll get the kids out to scout around."

"You think so?" he mumbled and let her kiss him again.

"I do. I also want to get pregnant before meeting with his Admiral. You know how protective everything gets when I'm pregnant," she smiled. He chuckled and looked over at John.

"My mate's horny. So am I. Go and meet with your Admiral. You'll have an hour to kinda…let him know about us. It should give you plenty of time to talk to him," Alex said and pulled Agatha into his arms to fully carry her off. "You're getting lighter…"

"I did say you were getting more muscle," she said softly. Now he sensed the worry. He rushed them to their bedroom and set her on the reinstalled bed. Olympus had placed everything back like it said it would. Now Alex looked at her with concern. "The last time you took in cells, they were your own. I had to kill them to fix you. What you did to yourself now…I don't know if it will change you. I don't know if I can fix it again. I just…"

"Hera…" he said in a gentle, gruff way to get her attention. "I feel nothing wrong with me. You will know if something is wrong. No matter what, you came from me. I am a part of you. And you are always a part of me. Do you sense that something is wrong with me?"

"Zeus…" she sighed. "There is _always_ something wrong with you."

"Okay, I deserved that answer," he said with a roll of his eyes to get her giggling. "What I'll do is this. To ease your mind, I'll get myself checked out by Ragland the moment I can."

"Okay," she smiled and squealed when he fully pounced her. Now that he was consoling her, John was talking extensively with an older man in uniform on the Normandy.

"So…what happened to the Relay? It's like it was never there! How can something that's been there for over fifty thousand years suddenly vanish?" the Admiral asked.

"Because it was eaten," John said calmly. Now the man looked at him like he was off his rocker. "Follow me. I'll show you what I mean."

John led the honorable man to a viewing window. Then he saw Joker walking over. "Hey. Um…oh! You're busy."

"It's fine Joker. Did you see what happened?" John asked.

"Ah, yeah! I mean, we were out in space when Olympus split itself! So freaky!" Joker grimaced.

"Olympus?" He frowned. John now motioned him to follow them to an observation deck. Olympus was cloaked. Now it revealed itself. The man paled. Then several more ships revealed themselves. Even more was how Olympus gave a playful wink with one of its eyes at John. That got him laughing a bit at the sense of humor the ship had. He had a feeling that it liked to be a big surprise.

"I'm sure you heard of the new viral race that's been around? The Protoforms? Anyways, you are looking at their ships. These guys ate the Relay to save this sector of batarian space. They also evacuated the populace and returned them after the threat was done. If you want to meet the leaders of the race, well, we have a slight wait to do. They're busy…celebrating the event," John said with a small smile. "They'll be here soon, though."

"They…ate…the Relay…?" Hackett asked.

"Yeah! Oh! EDI recorded the whole thing, too!" Joker beamed.

"She did?" John grinned.

"Well, I kinda suggested it. I mean, stuff like that you just don't see any day, right?" the pilot asked. "It was like…holy shit! We have to record this! Um, sorry, Admiral…for my big mouth…"

"Show me the video, and I'll forgive you for the misconduct," Hackett said. Joker grinned and brought out a small data pad. EDI had already sent the video to it, and now the man watched the entire event. He was awed. He was in shock. He was horrified. "This race…could be our destruction…"

"But they're not!" Joker said, and John rose up his hand.

"They helped supply us with thresher maw meat. Yeah, they can kill those things. And they do it for fun, too," John said. "Look, even I'm a bit wary of them, but they've shown no harm to me. If it wasn't for them, the Reapers would likely have been here! Amanda knocked me out!"

"What?!" Hackett blinked.

"Joker, go back to the helm. Admiral," John said and waited for Joker to leave. "There was a beacon she found. It indoctrinated her. At first, she wanted to stop the Reapers. Then she wanted them to show up to kill us all."

"Let me see her," he insisted. John nodded and walked him over to the holding cell. At the sight of her through the security camera, he paused. He sensed the change. He pushed on the button to let his voice come through to her. "Amanda?"

"You fool! The Reapers were to cleanse the impure!" she hissed out and lunged at him through the camera. Of course, she couldn't do anything, but he gave a heavy frown.

"She needs help. My men will take her from here," he said.

"I thought so. I mean…even I'm in shock that their ship ate something like that! I'm just…glad they were able to help," John admitted. "Over three hundred thousand batarians could have been killed."

"How were they saved if I sent you in alone?" he asked.

"Well…they have drones. Soldiers. And they can naturally cloak like those ships can. It's a very long story of how I met them. I told Anderson all about it…"

"But not me?!"

"Would you have believed me?"

"Eh…yeah. Likely not. Well, if we have some time to kill before meeting up with the leaders, you may as well fill me in. I have time. Let's talk in your quarters, shall we?" Hackett suggested. John nodded and led him away. There was a lot to tell him, and there wasn't much time to spare.


	26. Chapter 26

Agatha was just showing off her pregnancy when Alex led her to where the Normandy had docked again on Olympus. Spike nudged into Agatha's hand to show it was ready to attack if it had to. Olympus had its drone with them, and Alex had Nick nearby, as always. Her escort group was also present, and Alex looked at her.

"You sure not the throne room?" he asked.

"I'm sure. If this one is an ally, we don't really need the intimidation effect. I mean…what do you think?" she asked back. He thought it over and realized she had a point.

"If he stabs us in the back, the next meeting will be in the throne room," he muttered. She smiled and let him rest an arm around her waist.

"There was something I wanted to tell you," she murmured softly.

"Hmm?"

"I had an odd dream recently."

"Did you?" he frowned.

"Yeah. I can't…really recall it, though. It escaped my mind the moment I woke up," she said with a touch of worry. "I thought I was imagining it."

"When was this?"

"A day or two ago. I would have mentioned it, but I had forgotten it."

"Well, most of the dreams you have that you can remember, I can glimpse. Can you bring up anything for me?" he asked gently. She thought about it, and he tried to tune in to her thoughts. "Huh. Yeah, it's…kinda fuzzy, isn't it? Had a dream like that again?"

"No. It just…disturbed me. I don't know why, but it did. Especially if I can't recall it, and it rubbed me the wrong way. If it happens again, I'll be sure to tell you," she nodded. He nodded back, kissed her forehead and looked over at Shepard walking over with the Admiral.

"Admiral Hackett, I'd like to introduce you to the Empress and Emperor of the hive mind that's been helping us on the side," John said. Hackett looked over and paused at Agatha's staggering beauty. He saw Spike and cleared his throat. Then he saw Alex's small glare from under his hood. That wisely had him come around and ease himself into a form of pleasant conversation.

"Hello! Ah…nice ship?" the man chuckled. Alex cracked a small grin. Spike sat down to show that it was being tolerable around allies. A gentle pat to its back from Agatha showed it was doing well.

"A lot more to be made, too," Agatha laughed softly in her ethereal tone. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Did you need anything to eat? Drink?"

"I'm good for now," Hackett nodded. "and I saw the footage of how the Mass Relay was eaten. I'm…speechless of it…"

"Footage?" Alex asked.

"Joker got a video of it. I have it here," John said and handed over the data pad. "You didn't know he had it?"

"No. If I did, I would have asked for it," Alex said and watched the screen with Agatha. "This is fucking awesome…!"

"Look at how the core energy almost escaped!" Agatha said with a form of delight.

"Yeah. And he caught how the segments were made, too! Nick," Alex said aloud.

"Yes, my Liege?" the drone asked.

"Make sure we bring up one of our nicest cars for him to try and drive. Or at least sit in while one of us drives it, since his legs could get easily fucked over with the slightest amount of pressure. I'm sure Olympus can make a racetrack in here," Alex grinned lightly.

"I can do that, my Emperor," the Olympus drone nodded.

"You're the ship?" Hackett asked the drone.

"I am a representation of the ship. There are other drones that will speak for me, but this primary drone I made for myself to assist with my Empress and Emperor," the drone explained.

"Do we need to put a fucking sign over your head?" Alex grunted out. The drone laughed softly and shook its head. "Anyways, yeah. Olympus ate the core of the Relay. Then it made more ships to eat the rest of it. I am curious about it eating a Reaper, though."

"If they can do that, it would be a feat of itself. But, Reapers do have their own defenses, you'd think. Relays just…help us teleport. I'm not sure what all there is to say," the Admiral confessed.

"What do you think of your colleague? The doctor?" Agatha asked him.

"She needs help," he said seriously. "Her mind is just…"

"She's indoctrinated. Maybe time away from that thing can help. Otherwise, not sure," Alex seemed to sigh. "It's hard to say with you humans."

"Whatever happened to that beacon she found?" Hackett asked.

"Hell if I know," Alex shrugged. "Why bother, if we know it's not gonna work?"

"I'd still like to make sure it's destroyed," he said.

"We don't know where it is. If we find it, we'll inform you," Agatha said calmly.

"Very well," the man sighed. "What's on your list of things to do currently?"

"My Emperor, I suggest we head over to the entertainment section. A new amusement is going to unfold. You may want to see it," Olympus's drone hinted.

"Okay. I'll bite. You want in?" Alex asked the two men.

"What is it about?" the Admiral asked a touch warily.

"The human named Harkin," the drone started.

"I'm in," Shepard grinned. At how the Commander was giving off a pleased vibe, the Admiral considerably relaxed. But, he was still unsure.

"Harkin? What did he do? I recall him vaguely…" Hackett frowned.

"He used C-Sec intel to hide other criminals," Alex smirked.

"What?!" the man gaped. This was the first time he heard about this.

"We have something new planned for him. Last time, we pushed him off a ledge for a bungee cord experiment. It worked. It's a new form of a ride," the drone said.

"Well, I have a little time to kill. Okay, let's see what's going on," the Admiral sighed. Then he was steadied when Olympus rose up the floor they were standing on. "What the hell…?!"

"Sorry. It's how we move around. We're considered an elite group. Others get to walk," Alex chuckled. He studied Agatha's belly and frowned. "Do you need to lie down yet?"

"I'm okay," she smiled and leaned into him. He nodded and gave a mild glare at Hackett's stunned look. He saw how her belly suddenly stretched out. "I'll need a different gown soon."

"This one will stretch with you for a bit. You're fine," Alex muttered. Nick had a spare two-part gown on it just in case. A hearty treat was given to Spike to placate the Hunter, and Agatha was moved to sit on its back to help rest herself. When they arrived at the seating area over a giant maze-like complex, Robert and Garrus were waiting for them.

"Alex!" Robert grinned and waved him over. "Harkin's going to become a rat in a maze."

"He's already a rat. I call this a new form of favoritism," Garrus snorted.

"You think so?" Alex grinned and had Agatha move to sit in his lap. They settled in the deluxe loveseat made completely for the two of them. Spike moved to settle in a relaxed way off to the side. The drone escort settled around the leading couple, and Kim now moved to start serving up some snacks and drinks. Other drones were moving to ensure everything was orderly and secured.

"Hypnos?" Robert asked when the King appeared with Eir.

"I had to arrive for this. Hello, Admiral. A pleasure to meet you! I am a King known as Hypnos. This is my mate and Queen, Eir. Have you come to join in on the fun?" the King chuckled. Hackett had to blink at the deep tone the King gave off. It was completely unnatural to him. At the beauty that Eir was, he had to regain himself once again.

"So, where is our little rat?" Garrus asked and accepted a couple marinated thresher slices. Hackett caught what he was starting to eat and blinked with shock that he didn't need the dextro-amino acid foods. John would have to explain why later.

"Oh, he's in a cage that Olympus set up. The moment the door opens, he'll have to run through the maze. And, yes, we have traps set up all over. Also, we do have a nice surprise for him at the end of the run. He'll get some liquor, good food and a little cash to spend. That's if we let him go," Hypnos grinned a touch wickedly. "We have video footage set up all over. We'll see everything. He won't. Also, bets are being made on if he lives or dies. I'm betting on him dying, but he's a rather resourceful thing. I'm actually having doubts."

"How much did you bet?" Alex asked.

"A thousand credits," Hypnos shrugged. "Chump change, really."

"Alex, bet ten thousand on Harkin staying alive," Agatha said.

"What? Why?" Alex frowned.

"Because even you know that assholes are hard to kill," she grinned. Now he gave her a look that had her laughing hard. Robert wisely kept his mouth shut. Garrus could only agree with her and wonder if he did the wrong bet for the guy to die.

"Are you suggesting something?" Alex asked her.

"I don't know. Am I?" she asked innocently.

"Bitch…" he growled out at her giggle. A couple tickling pokes to her side to get even were done, and he had her fully recline against him. Hackett found himself chuckling softly with John. Now Alex looked over at them and said, "Do you both plan to bet?"

"I think Agatha has the right idea," John mused. "I'll bet on Harkin living."

"As much as I oppose such things…" Hackett sighed. "He was really abusing our system?"

"I can send you the proof," Hypnos said casually.

"Fine. I won't bet, but I'll just…hope he lives," the Admiral muttered out.

"I'll give you a cut of my winnings," John chuckled. Hackett rose a brow and nodded at the idea.

"It's starting," Alex smirked. They all turned their attention to the giant screen that showed a wall of viral mucus. The moment the sheet pulled away, Harkin was there blinking his eyes from the dark cell. No one had to say anything. All he was told in the beginning was that, if he made it out alive, he would be well rewarded. He snorted, growled to himself and trudged forward.

The first five minutes went fairly well. He figured out he was in a maze, and he only scowled to himself at his new predicament. Then he encountered a dead end with a red button. It clearly said 'Do not push!' in bold, white letters over a red plaque. Of course, he pushed the button. At what was revealed when the mucus wall came away, his jaw dropped.

"Oh, fuck!" he gasped at the awakening Hunter. He bolted before it fully came aware. The only problem was that it had his scent. He was soon being chased down.

Alex was dying with laughter. Agatha was in tears. Anyone watching right now was in hysterics from Harkin scrambling for safety from the giant viral red death bearing down on him. Harkin did the only thing he could think of and slid on the ground underneath the Hunter. The monster paused with surprise and now had to force its massive bulk to turn around. The passages were pretty narrow, so it had to squeeze itself a bit to do this.

"Told you so," Agatha whispered to her mate. Alex sighed and laughed softly. They watched Harkin make it to the center of the maze, with a miraculous feat of skills from steering clear of the Hunter, and he fell to his knees out of breath. There were drones that were already drugging the monster up again to use it for another place. After he recovered, he was able to claim his refreshing meal and a slightly generous amount of credits.

Thanatos and Lelantos were livid at how they bet on the human dying. There were quite a few Kings and breeders that were feeling the pain of the losses they had to pay for. Agatha and Alex were only amused by the whole thing.

"Well, that's fifty credits that I lost," Garrus sighed.

"I'm not sure how much we gained," Agatha grinned.

"I'm glad I went with your option," John chuckled. "Seriously, though, what do we have planned for now? I mean…"

"Commander, the Illusive Man would like a private conversation with you in the Normandy's comm room," a female voice chimed in on his communicator.

"Oh! Thanks! Okay, maybe I'll get a new mission. I'll be right back. Ah, Admiral," John said, but the other man stood up to shake his hand.

"It's time for me to head out. Just send my cut of your winnings to the military distribution line. It's better used there. Keep in touch. And, I'll be taking the doctor with me," Hackett said. John nodded and got up to leave with him. Alex watched them leave and rose up with Agatha in his arms.

"Let's get you to bed," he muttered to her.

"Okay," she smiled and let him carry her off with her entourage in tow. In the conference room on the Normandy, John was given a very rare opportunity.

"One of my teams went dark while checking out a unique site. We found a dead Reaper completely intact. I'm going to put the coordinates on your map. I can't get into too much detail, but you'll know what it's for when you get there. Also, there's something that my team was supposed to get for us. The Reapers have a form of, oh, identity of friend or foe program. An IFF file that's imbedded in their programming. They were supposed to extract it to help shield the Normandy.

"This will be crucial to get through the Omega Four Relay. It may give us a chance, but we can't really put the pieces together until we find the Collector ship in action. We need to see how the program works, and we need to try and track the ship on where it actually goes. The IFF file is still crucial to grant us access, but we still need to know where the Collector ship is to follow it. That will be next on your list. I'll send EDI the intel for you as to where the IFF file was last found and documented. Oh. How are the, ah, guests that you've acquired?" the Illusive Man asked.

"Guests?" John frowned.

"The virus people," he said.

"Ah. They're fine. They've been very beneficial in getting some key missions done," John said in a cool tone. The Illusive Man seemed to have an amused look on his face.

"Good. See to it that they remain useful. I wouldn't want them to turn on us," he seemed to smirk with a rather knowing response.

"What are you getting at?" John frowned.

"Don't worry about it. Just get to that site and see what happened. Remember to get the IFF file. If we want to stop the Collectors, then we need that file," he said and closed the connection. John felt that something was up. He didn't like what his gut was telling him.

"If you know something that I don't…" John seemed to growl out to himself.

"We saw everything," a lesser drone of Kim said when it showed itself. "Our Emperor does not trust him. He is hiding something."

"When isn't he?" John sighed and shook his head.

"We are going to the coordinates he gave you. He seems to give all the instructions from another location that is not his own. Too crafty," the drone seemed to frown. "It may be a trap."

"I'm tired of bending over backwards for him. If he's not going to give me the full deal, then why the hell is he sending me off on these pointless missions?!" John asked with frustration.

"It is because he does not trust you, either. He is keeping you busy. Think about it," the drone said gently. "We shall assist you in any way we can."

"I know you will. At the same time, I just…got this vibe that he knew something about your people. That…he knew something more. Call it a hunch…"

"We shall be aware in a much more diligent fashion from your insight," the drone said seriously. "Your advice has never steered any wrong. We shall continue to work with you."

"Thanks. I have a feeling that he's starting to go down the wrong path. I don't know what to do half the time," he admitted. "He says he wants to work for humanity. But, I've seen so much wrong! And yet, all I can do is keep going."

"And we shall assist you to help clear your path," the drone nodded. He nodded back and let the drone lead him to where the main star map was. It was time to head to the location of interest.

"Interesting," Alex mused.

"Hmm?" Agatha asked while being fed a hearty thresher steak.

"This Illusive Man. I'm starting to hate him more and more," Alex growled out. "But, he did find something. A dead Reaper."

"Is that so?" Agatha blinked. "Interesting."

"We should have one of the ships try and eat it," Alex smirked.

"No," she said lightly.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I've been giving some thought on this. This thing is dead. Supposed to be. I mean…it's also been collecting a lot of memories and stuff, if what we learned about them is true. Won't it overload us? I mean…all those memories just…flooding us. You know?"

"That's a very interesting way to put something. I wonder…" Alex thought and went into the link. _:Hypnos, I want your opinion on something.:_

 _:Of course, my Emperor!:_ The King said quickly. Alex sent over the conversation he just had with Agatha, and Hypnos was in a deep state of thought. _:Mother may be right, but we don't really know. We may be able to have a scout ship try to bite into it after we know it's safe to do so. We also don't know what form of natural armor these things have, too. The Relay was just…soft metal that survived for thousands upon thousands of years. They were designed to just sit in space and help people move around. Reapers are battle-ready ships of destruction. Like our ships, but we don't know what form of attack and defenses they have. I did have an idea, though.:_

 _:Tell me.:_ Alex nodded mentally.

 _:We can build a massive memory bank. If we can set up several drones to be our servers, that may help cut down a lot of stress on the hive mind. I can start experimenting right now if you like.:_

 _:Do it. I want to be prepared for anything.:_ Alex agreed. Then he thought out to the hive link. _:We need drones to help Hypnos with an experiment. We need you all to start fucking again.:_

 _:Wonderful!:_ Dionysus chimed in. _:Ah, but for what?:_

 _:I want to see what happens if we make drones that just store memories for us.:_ Hypnos explained.

 _:Ooh! That would be kinda nice.:_ The breeder male mused.

 _:My Emperor.:_ Cronus nudged him. _:When do I start doing something major?:_

 _:Maybe when you stop being a pain in my ass and actually attempt to contribute.:_ Alex snorted at the first King. _:All you've ever done was bitch, moan and be a complete jackass. You want to do something? Fine. We left some old 'friends' on our main planet. Yeah, we didn't really fuck with them that much in the past, but I want to make sure they don't know what we're doing here. We've done a good job so far. We need to keep it that way. Keep track of them and report to me. Got it?:_

 _:I can do that.:_ Cronus smirked and dropped from the conversation. Alex hadn't touched the group from so long ago, but it was mainly because they had dropped from his life, too, after the island was quarantined. _Blackwatch._ He didn't know why he was thinking about that group now, but he wanted to make sure he still didn't have to think about them again.

"Love?" Agatha asked.

"Just some…random thoughts that I may want to store away. That's all," he sighed.

"About what?"

"Oh, some stupid group that was trying to keep tabs on me. I kinda lost track of them after the island got shot down. Then you came along, and I just…kinda forgot about them," he seemed to shrug.

"And now?" she asked

"Cronus wanted to do something. I told him to keep tabs on them. He had better not get caught," he mumbled and sighed at the massage she began to give his back.

"Do we have drones with John right now?" she asked.

"Always…" he muttered and let her continue to work on his back. On the dead Reaper that was floating just alongside the dwarf star, Mnemosyne, in the Thorne system of the Hawking nebula, the Normandy had just docked alongside the massive ship. The only thing keeping it stable was the Mass Effect shield in place, but even that seemed to be rather weak. John had to go in, find out what happened, find the file he needed and get out. Fast.

"You sure you want to come along, Garrus?" John grinned.

"I'm getting bored. Sitting around on my ass all day is nice, but I need a little adventure, too," the turian chuckled. "And, before you ask, the kids are calibrating the guns as we speak."

"You good, Miranda?" John asked her.

"I'm fine," she nodded.

"Still laughing over Harkin?" Garrus asked her.

"It was the most…interesting form of entertainment I've ever seen," she said thoughtfully.

"You had a waste basket filled with wet tissues from tears," John prodded her.

"And, that will be the first and last time you will get to see that," she said evenly to get him laughing softly at her. "We need to find out what happened to this group."

"This place gives me the creeps," John muttered and secured his helmet. "I have no idea what the air is like in here. If something got to these guys…"

"Right. Let's go," Garrus nodded. When they stepped foot onto the dead Reaper, something activated. They were now trapped and unable to leave.

"Oh, hell no!" John grimaced.

"What just happened?!" Miranda gasped.

"It sounds like the shielding around this thing locked the Normandy down," Garrus frowned in his helmet. At the sound of Joker coming in to reach them, they knew it was true.

"We can't leave! We're stuck here!" Joker panicked.

"I am detecting that the core of this ship is faulty. If you can destroy it, we can escape," EDI suggested. "Also, the IFF file we need to help get through to the Omega Four Relay should also be there. Please use caution while exploring."

"No need to worry about us, EDI. But, thanks all the same," John agreed. "Okay, let's find what we need. Huh?"

"We are with you," a lesser drone of Nick said when it emerged. Two lesser drones of Kim and Eddie also appeared to help them out. "The air here is different. We can sense it."

"Is that right?" Garrus asked.

"Yes. We shall scout ahead for you," the lesser drone of Kim started before looking over at a humanoid shape suddenly running at them.

"Husks!" John hissed out, and he open fired.

"Was that one of the crew?!" Miranda asked after it died.

"I don't know. We need to tread carefully now," he said.

"What was this?" the lesser drone of Nick asked.

"A fully indoctrinated human. This is what happens when the Reapers gain full control of us," John grimaced. The drones frowned at each other before cloaking and scanning ahead. The lesser drone of Nick moved swiftly towards an idle husk and uncloaked to slash into it. Now it was surprised. Its claws did cut, but not as deep as it was used to seeing. The skin was an armored alloy. Not quite resistant to viral claws, but that just meant one thing. _The husks were going to be fun to kill!_

"A worthy challenge…" the lesser drone of Eddie grinned.

"The hive is pleased…" the lesser drone of Kim chuckled.

"Finish it off. Find more of them," the lesser drone of Nick muttered out. It took a bit more time, but, after the husk was neatly torn apart, the three drones looked at each other.

"I'll go back to protect our allies," the lesser drone of Kim said and bolted off.

"We will need a sample. I have it," the lesser drone of Nick said and neatly skimmed off a piece of the alloyed flesh to store away. "King Hypnos will need this for research. We will need to evolve more. Ah. Look. Once the armor is gone, the insides are weak to attack. My claws seem to have no problem here, but still a bit of resistance. Not really flesh, but a mix of metal and flesh. We will need to ensure we can remove the armor quickly. If my claws cannot do much damage as swiftly as normal, then our Emperor will need to test this, himself."

"Agreed," the other drone nodded. They rose up from the lifeless husk and moved to where another was standing in the distance. This time, they wanted to goad it into attacking them. They had to study how the husks attacked. At the sight of an electrical charge starting up, the drones grinned.

"King Lelantos will be pleased," the lesser drone of Nick chuckled, and they began to tag-team the husk with a careful game of cat and mouse.

"I think I found the file," Miranda said from where she was at a console near the middle of the ship. Garrus was still on the alert for anymore husks. From what they were reading from various video logs, the crew had definitely turned into them.

"A dreaming god…" Garrus sighed and shook his head. "What's that?!"

"More husks!" John growled and started to fire. Then two bullets strayed from nowhere and shot the enemy down. In the distance was a lone Geth warrior staring at them all.

"Shepard-Commander…" it said before quickly darting off. John was very surprised at this.

"A live Geth? Hmm. Tali won't like that…" the turian muttered.

"I am aware," John muttered. Miranda was just as surprised at this, but she continued to pull the file they needed. Once it was extracted, they had to free the Normandy from the Mass Effect trap. _That meant going to the very center of the dead Reaper and disabling the weakened core._

There were more husks waiting for them, and John saw that the drones were having a bit of difficulty cutting them down. Even Garrus was surprised. _This wouldn't bode well if there was a full-on attack._ Luckily, it was just the turned research group. There were still quite a few of them, though.

"Tough fight?" Garrus asked.

"This enemy is unexpected. We will need to evolve to be better prepared," the lesser drone of Nick said calmly. "How do you fare?"

"I'm good, thanks," the turian said and sniped another husk dead. "Tricky bastards, aren't they?"

"They still get cut down," Miranda said and used her biotics to blast two of them away from them. At the feel of the floor shaking, she gasped.

"Our attacks are making this thing unstable! We have to remove that core now!" John growled.

"We will help clear a path," the lesser drone of Kim nodded and sped off with the other two drones. John looked at Garrus and Miranda before quickly trudging after them. When they got to the main core, they saw the Geth that helped them. It was damaged and offline.

"Tali would have a field day," Garrus chuckled.

"I know. But, let's take it back. It may have some answers for us," John said. "Let's kill the core. Quickly."

"We have a scout ship that will attempt to eat some of this vessel. We should leave before that happens," the lesser drone of Eddie advised. Two drones were already helping with the Geth. They managed to drag it out, and John covered them with his crew to keep them moving quickly. Before they left the main chamber, though, he was able to rig the ship's core to go on a timer to self-destruct. When they made it to the Normandy, they braced themselves for a quick escape.

The moment the core lost power when the self-destruct sequence initiated, a waiting viral scout ship homed in to try and bite down on one of the lifeless limbs of the derelict Reaper. The corpse was starting to get pulled in to the nearby dwarf star, and the scout ship was forced to release its prize. It couldn't bite through it. It lost several teeth instead. It couldn't even penetrate past the armor that shielded it. The small scrap that the lesser drone of Nick had from the salvaged husk would be the key to solving this problem. There was no other choice in that.

As the Normandy sped off to keep from getting pulled into the star's gravitational assault, Alex thought over everything that happened. He was wary of the Geth. He had to see what it was all about. He was also going to wait to see how it treated John first. With John being the one to see what it was all about on a peaceful standing, Alex could then be introduced as an ally. If it all worked out, then he could see where the viral hive stood on the playing field with the Geth.

* * *

 ***Author's Note***

 **Hello folks! I figured the rare notation was needed by now. First of all, I wanted to thank you all for the reviews. They definitely help, and I appreciate all the feedback that happens, both good and bad.**

 **Yes, I know the characters are out of context on how they appear, but that's the way they started out in this fiction. I'm not going exactly with the game time-lines. If people are upset about this, well, I can't do anything about it now. It's just how the story came along. It's a fiction. Get over it! If you enjoy it, great! If not, well, some stories aren't for everyone. Not much else to say about it.**

 **So, on this chapter, yes, I brought in the Geth way earlier than planned. I have been chatting with a few readers on the side, and I had to agree that I didn't want the viral hive to become too OP. I had to bring in a balancing act somewhere. And, yes, I'm sure many of you may have caught a subtle hint that Alex's old enemies will be making a brief appearance here and there. I have to stir up trouble, right? ^_^**

 **Anyways, thank you all for continuing to read and support. If you have any ideas, feel free to message me! I'll answer when I can.**


	27. Chapter 27

John had decided to activate the Geth. If it was going to be a possible ally, he had to know firsthand. After the Geth named itself Legion, thanks to EDI, it was allowed some freedom, but not much. The firewalls on the Normandy were blocking it down. Alex wanted to meet it, but he was also very skeptical. _Anything this Geth learned, it could send to its main server. Then the entire race would know about them._ It was a gamble right now.

"Let's wait on meeting it," Agatha said softly. "I'm going to give birth soon, anyways. I need you here with me."

"Right. Okay. Let me check in on Cronus," Alex muttered and relaxed in the bed to let Agatha's warm tendrils coat over him. He sighed and closed his eyes. _:Hey. Fuckwad. Did you find out anything?:_

 _:My Emperor, will you please stop with the names?!:_ Cronus growled.

 _:No. What did you find out?:_ He prodded.

 _:I was just about to infiltrate into one of Blackwatch's bases. Now…that's odd…:_ Cronus frowned in the link. _:I did have some scouts get in, but something is very off.:_

 _:How?!:_ Alex demanded.

 _:They are fine when they are in a human form to copy the DNA sequence. But, any drones outside of a body…they can be tracked. Yes, my Emperor. They found a way to track us! I can see their cameras moving with one of my drones watching it!:_ Cronus grimaced.

 _:Pull all of the drones that are not in control of a body away. Right now. Any drones that have infiltrated now, where are they?:_ Alex growled out.

 _:They are getting some kind of an injection. It's…oh fuck! Cut them off! Kill the link with them! Now! It's an advanced antivirus! It's killing them!:_ Cronus freaked out.

 _:They made it. Whitelight. FUCK!:_ Alex hissed and was quick to find all of the drones that were in hidden infiltration. Any that were safely out of harm's way were ordered to retreat. Any drones unlucky enough to be in the danger zone were suddenly killed to keep the hive mind safe.

"Zeus?!" Agatha asked him with full concern at his sudden rage. She felt the connections disappear with various drones. She sensed the shock in the hive link. At her look of worry, he forced himself to calm down to talk to her. He had to explain a few things.

"Hera, listen to me," he said in a calm way. He had to be calm for her. "You are made for me. I'm letting you be aware of this right now. You know this. Our family knows this. Okay?"

"I know," she nodded. He pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth and held her close.

"There were rumors through various memories. It's too much to really explain…ah! Let's make it easy. Search the link for something called Whitelight," he said. "When you see the memories, I'll explain more in detail. I'll even add a few of my own for you."

"Very well," she nodded and rested in his arms. She was quick to find the memories. She narrowed her eyes with disgust. "A stronger antivirus than myself?!"

"I know. They must have just finished it. So, Cronus has gone up a notch for helping us find this out. Because, if the fuckers out here know that they made something to go against us down there…" Alex said slowly. She trembled with rage now. He nodded to show he understood that anger. "I'd go down there to finish it off, but they don't know where we are. We'll just have to step back and watch from a distance. I still can't believe they found a way to see our drones! I need to know how!"

"And, I'm sure that anyone we send in that has a body is going to be introduced to that shot. Some of those drones came straight from us, too! We need to talk to Robert," she said.

"I'm already calling him in," Nick said. Robert was charging in the moment he was told that he was needed. "Take a seat. This will be a while."

"What's going on?" Robert asked and sat down.

"Do you know about Whitelight?" Alex asked.

"I…hmm. It does sound familiar…" he frowned. "Supposed to be some massive project for Blacklight. To counter it. It wasn't really something I was told about. I was given some information about it, but not much else. Wait. Is that what Agatha is?"

"No. But, I'm sure she could have been an offshoot of it. They got Whitelight up and running. Leopold… _the fuck!_ " Alex spat out. "I missed these memories! Shit!"

"What are they about?" Robert asked.

"Agatha…she was taken from Whitelight. Her main process base was Whitelight! But, Leopold wanted to make her form into her current one to get fucked. To make her available to be used by people and not just a vaccine. He wanted to make a female version of _me_ and he succeeded. He was given a sample. A base part of Whitelight. He made her from a different strain of it. He disposed of the original sample. He didn't want anyone to think that he got it from borrowed tech! Hell!" Alex grimaced. He still had Agatha in his arms, though.

"Surely we have a way to counter this?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I don't want to give over any of our cells to anyone here. I can't trust them. If we could steal a bit of that Whitelight, though, something might be possible. Until then, I'm honestly not sure. Hypnos might be able to do a temporary fix with your blood, though. Maybe just enough to help us get a sample. Let me see what he says," Alex muttered and nudged the King.

 _:My Emperor, you don't need to explain. Cronus told me everything. I'll do what I can.:_ Hypnos vowed. _:I'm sure I can find something.:_

 _:Please do. Use your mother's blood, if you have to.:_ Alex said. _:Ragland will have some ready.:_

 _:I'd really like to see if we can get Mordin in on this. He hasn't given us a drop of blood yet. If we had his knowledge, it would help us immensely!:_ Hypnos sighed.

 _:I have an idea on how to get it. It will be risky, but I have a hunch. I'm gonna talk to Alya. She likes Mordin. I'll see if she can get his blood.:_ Thanatos nudged in.

 _:That is risky. Do exercise caution, and be around her if something happens. Go ahead and allow Mordin the chance to see what my blood can do.:_ Agatha said gently. A mental nod was given. Thanatos was quick to approach where Alya was staying with her other brothers and sisters. They had their own set of rooms on Olympus, and the ship was quick to transport him there. The King gave the ship a small pat on the wall to show the concern was noted when he felt it.

"Thanatos?" Perseus frowned when he approached the King.

"I need to talk to Alya. Where is she?" he asked.

"You just missed her! She said she was going for a walk," Gemma said.

"Olympus?" Thanatos mused. A drone appeared to speak for the ship.

"I am sorry, King Thanatos. I wanted to give her a head start," the drone chuckled.

"You are very evil. I like you," he grinned and waved to the others before leaving.

"Tethys is worried for you. You had her go to Pandemonium," Olympus said.

"I know. And, with all this shit going down, I want her to be there where she can be safe. I knew we were keeping tabs on various places back home. But, with all this shit resurfacing…"

"We are all aware. It is very alarming. Let us see what can be done," Olympus nodded. Thanatos gave a slight nod in agreement. As they were approaching the Medical Bay, Mordin was being shown a sample of Agatha's blood at long last. He was completely fascinated.

"Cellular structure is perfect. Too perfect. Hmm…" the salarian frowned.

"She was made by a mad man. What else can be said?" Hypnos shrugged. "Her cells can slow aging, cure diseases, and even make you almost invulnerable. You heal much faster than normal."

"Astounding!" Mordin seemed to gasp.

"I'll let you study it a bit more, but don't get any other ideas just yet," Hypnos chuckled and walked off to see to another project. Mordin was completely enthralled in the unique cells, and he never noticed Alya walk up to him. She had grown quite a bit, and, because of her shot of blood from Agatha, she had a few more feminine attributes that seemed to show in her hips and on her chest. Salarian females tended to look like males, but they were a bit more slender with smaller horn crests. Her horns actually seemed to have a rather feminine form of a slight spiral. It added to her attractiveness.

"Hi!" she said.

"Hmm? Oh! Salutations," he nodded and went back to the slide.

"What are you looking at?" she asked.

"Cells from Agatha. Ah, I cannot be disturbed," he said politely.

"Wouldn't you rather ask your questions from the source?" she asked. Now he gave her a mild glance with a touch or irritability. Then he paused. He now noticed the odd changes to her body. A part of him was intrigued. Another part of him was quick to push that other part back down. The scientist was always in the forefront of everything he did.

"Your figure…hmm…" he frowned, as he studied her. "It is not a known trait…"

"Mom's blood did that," she shrugged. "I learned I wasn't supposed to have a set of breasts. But, I do. They aren't much, but I have them. Why?"

"Her blood is clearly a cause of mutation!" he said.

"And, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be alive!" she countered. "Maybe I was wrong about you."

"Wrong?" he asked. She just shook her head and sighed.

"You wouldn't understand. And I'm sure that, even if I tried, you wouldn't get it. So…yeah. Forget I mentioned anything," she said with a sensation of pure disappointment. Mordin was completely and fully confused. After she walked off, Thanatos charged over to approach him.

"You're so stupid!" he growled. "You didn't get the fact that she liked you?"

"What?!" Mordin seemed to gape.

"She had one of the biggest crushes on you that I had ever seen," the King said. "Damn, man! You really know how to shoot them down, don't you?"

"I am not one to be compatible with a mate," the salarian started.

"We get that. But now she's hurt, and I have to explain that it's not her fault. She's also still a few days too young. Fuck…" he sighed and shook his head.

"Not many can understand my position," Mordin said.

"I know. However, if you give us a drop of your blood, we'll know all about that. You need help with something? A drone will be right there to help you out and even look after something within your own protocols. You'll never need another apprentice ever again. We will have your knowledge. Alya will be able to understand why you can't be with her. I even tried to talk her out of being with you when she admitted that she liked you! Are salarian girls always this stubborn?"

"It can be a natural instinct. And her body! It is not naturally formed!"

"Yes, Mother's blood did that to her. A necessity for her survival. She also formed in one of the spare eggs that my Mother had created, so not much else to say about it. Her body evolved and adapted to what our standards are. She's still growing, too. She has roughly three days left before she's fully grown for us. Eighteen full days are all we need to grow to adulthood. Aside from that, what do you think about giving us a drop of blood?"

Mordin seemed to stand there with a look of indecision. "You say that all of my knowledge will be gleaned and used to assist my projects?"

"Yes. And we only learn about everything up to now. It's also crucial to do this for one thing. There are some folks back on our home planet that may have learned how to cripple us. We need to see about getting some of what they have to counter it. Your memories will serve us very well in this. We will also ensure that nothing bad happens to you. If you can work with us, we will work with you. What do you think?" Thanatos asked carefully. Mordin took a minute to critically weigh his options.

"My secrets will not be abused?" he asked warily.

"You have my word, and the word of the hive mind. We never force allies into this. We let them choose. So, the choice is yours," Thanatos vowed. The salarian sighed hard, but he extended his hand to let a drop of blood get collected. The moment it was done, Hypnos walked over and made a small adjustment to one of Mordin's projects.

"What have you…?! Hmm. So…the molecular structure was off by…I see…" Mordin paused at this. "This was why it was failing…"

"I also have an idea of how to restructure the formulae you were working on for the Collector bugs. Shall we talk?" Hypnos smiled. "We will need to get to a colony soon."

"I would be delighted," Mordin smiled. Thanatos left them alone and went to check on Alya. She was actually rather thoughtful when he saw her.

"So, he was mildly interested in me. That may be enough," she mused.

"Alya, what are you thinking of?" Thanatos grinned and let her move to hug him in a sisterly way. "You can tell me."

"I saw that he was…interested in me. Just a bit. That may be enough," she giggled softly.

"Possibly. But, you shouldn't act on anything until after you have reached full growth," he advised gently. "Think about it."

"I have been," she smiled and chuckled with him.

"Go back to the others. I need to check in with Tethys. Don't do anything right now, okay?" he said with a mild form of warning. She nodded in agreement, and he escorted her back to her room. With this new, yet also old, threat getting looked into on the viral side, Shepard was with Jack and Taylor on a small mission that he was given. While the Illusive Man was working on finding a colony about to be attacked, John decided to see what could be done about a possible krogan scientist that was reported to have a cure for the genophage.

As much as the old krogan was a genius, he was also reported to be a touch mad. He was also not very well liked by his own people. And this was what Alex's drones were quick to find when they infiltrated into the Blue Suns that were supposed to be assisting him.

"Lelantos?" John frowned at the sight of the King.

"Yeah. My Emperor wanted me to tag along. He thought my skills would be useful. As well as my drones. We'll clear the area for you. Unless you want us to leave you something to kill?" the King grinned a touch wickedly. "I'm all for the hunt. I'm sure you know."

"We should have you hunt down the leader around here," Taylor suggested.

"I'm all for taking a walk," Jack chuckled. "The less power I use, the more I can focus on the shit around us that you miss."

"Are you making a bet with me?" Lelantos grinned back.

"Why the fuck not?" she grinned back.

"Damn. If you ever get a breeder male for yourself, I don't know whether to feel happy for you or sorry for him," the King laughed. She could readily agree to that.

"I was sort of thinking about it. Not now, but the idea is starting to grow on me," she admitted.

"Just let us know when. We'll make arrangements," the King gave her a brotherly arm nudge.

"So, what did you find out about this place? I didn't get much. Just that something about the genophage was here and to look for an actual krogan scientist," John muttered. "Look out!"

They ducked behind a few steel crates and fired back at a grunt soldier. At a shout of pain, Taylor was the one that ran out to pause.

"Damn it! Damn leg wound! I'm bleeding out!" the man whimpered and limped about.

"What?" Lelantos blinked at him. "You got barely scraped! What do you mean 'bleeding out'?!"

"The fuck you talking about? I've busted a nose open that had more blood than that," Jack snickered.

"Wait. You're not berserkers. You're something else. I…I'm not saying anything!" the man growled. That had Lelantos grinning, but John rose up his hand.

"Well, I do have a nice little batch of medi-gel here for that little scratch you have. Who's in charge? You tell us what we want. I give you the medi-gel. Deal?" Shepard asked.

"Damn you! Fine…" the man seemed to whimper. "They don't pay me enough for this, anyways. The krogan mad man is in the back. We're here to keep him in line. Now he's unleashed these…things…all over the place! We're trying to kill them off."

They knew he was holding back information. Shepard looked at him for more clarification and teased him with the sight of the medi-gel. He caved. "The old krogan guy is unleashing these things on us! I don't know why he's doing it. He lets them out on us. We've been fighting them for a while. My boss is a woman named Jedore. She wants an army, but he just lets them loose. They're all crazy! She's trying to control them. That's all I know! I swear!"

"Thanks," Shepard nodded and handed over the medi-gel. The man limped off.

"Fucking pathetic. Crying like a little bitch over a scratch!" Jack smirked.

"I can widen it," Lelantos grinned. "I can give him a real reason to bitch."

"Tempting, but no," John chuckled. "I just want to finish this out."

"Loud and clear," Taylor said with a small smile. "I would have given him more than a scratch, though. Just me."

"I like your style," Lelantos grinned a bit wider and had several of his drones move swiftly through the area. When they encountered one of the krogans made from a tank, they paused with indecision. The creature didn't attack them. He was in full body armor, and he regarded them.

"You are not like them. You are new. Not from here. It has been seven night cycles, since I was removed from the glass mother. Something about you makes me want to speak," he said.

"Cloned?" Lelantos frowned.

"Less than a week old? Hmm. How can you talk to us?" Shepard asked.

"I know not of clones. But, as I grew, I heard a voice. Not like now. But, from within," the krogan said. "There was a scratching in my head. Teaching was given on how to shoot. Speak. Walk. Hit. But…then I was told that I was not perfect. I learned no more."

"There is a woman here by the name of Jedore. Does this name sound familiar?" he asked.

"Yes. That name…it fills me with rage! But, I only kill those that are here. I am not perfect, but my purpose was made clear to me," the genetically made krogan said.

"Hmm. My drones are easily keeping back any that get too close. But, we still need to find this guy," Lelantos said. "Do we have a way to go?"

"Maybe this guy knows," Taylor said and gestured to the creature before them.

"What do you think? Can you show us how to get to Okeer?" John asked.

"The name…is not familiar. But…the voice…yes. I called it father. It sounded pleased. So…I know where the source of this voice is. Where the glass mother is. This way," he said and turned to simply shove a heavy piece of steel away from them to reveal a new path.

"Nice…" Lelantos whistled. "I wonder if we can get some drones made with that strength."

"If you do, I will not agree to any lifting contests!" Taylor said to get the King laughing.

"Will you join us?" John asked the krogan.

"No. I must do the will I was given. I am not perfect, but I still hold my purpose," he said and turned to look for any Blue Suns in the area.

"Very well," John sighed. He signaled to the others, and they moved swiftly. There was one asari woman they encountered, but John knew her. After a brief discussion, she left. She knew that the place was going to blow up, and she had no intention of sticking around. She was there when another genophage cure was made and destroyed some time back. She didn't want a repeat occurrence.

When they approached another chamber, they paused at the sight of an elderly krogan studying a large glass tank. In the tank was a massive krogan with gray mottling all over its body. It looked like natural body armor. It looked like it could kill almost anything that got too close.

"I was expecting you," the old krogan said. He had black markings on him and quite a few scars. He glared at them warily with a slitted pupil amidst yellow eyes.

"Were you now?" John asked.

"Yes. But…you I don't recognize…" the old krogan said to Lelantos.

"Yeah, my kind is like a new race. We evolved from a mutated virus," the King shrugged.

"Really? This is…intriguing information…" he pondered. "But, as much as I want to dwell on this, I know we have no time. It is time for me to leave with my prototype."

"Prototype?" John frowned.

"Yes. At first, I was trying to assist with a cure. One was made and lost. You saw to that," Okeer seemed to snicker. "I'm sure it was worth it?"

"I didn't have a choice. That cure would have made the krogans into slaves," Shepard said.

"I know. And I approve of your decision. To me, the genophage was producing only weakened bodies to the race. For over a thousand still-born, the survivors were coddled and spoiled. In the end, I decided to create a new race. For a thousand failures, I have produced one, single pure krogan! And it will be my legacy. The others here…heh. Jedore wants her army. She has it here. She just doesn't know how to lead them," Okeer said with a touch of distaste. "But…I am curious about your race…"

"Oh, I'm sure of it! My Mother's blood is known to be a vaccine for almost anything. We have yet to test it on the genophage to see what happens. But…I sort of have doubts," Lelantos sighed.

"How?" Jack had to ask.

"Your genophage is based on DNA fertility. While Mother's blood could be a cure, it's mainly to cure viral things. Like a fever or various infections that could cause illnesses. Her blood is like an antibiotic, so to speak. The genophage is something completely different. It attacks specific DNA strands and embeds itself into those strands. Hmm. Hypnos would explain it better than me. I could try…but he knows how to say the words better," the King chuckled. "Mordin gave us a drop of his blood, so I'm able to see exactly how the genophage is supposed to work. Very complex stuff!"

"I think you gave us enough of an explanation," Taylor grinned.

"It still has me curious, though. And…you glean things from blood?" Okeer blinked.

"Yes. It's very beneficial," Lelantos nodded.

"I will want to discuss this later. For now, though, we need to leave," he said.

"Will you join us?" John asked.

"I can. And I will. But, my prototype is not negotiable for anything. It is my legacy. What's this?!" the krogan growled and looked out a window that displayed a full room filled to the brim with tanks and developing krogans.

"This plan has gone dark. Release the toxins. Let's move," the woman said. "We have the plans. We can make more."

"No! They mean to destroy everything I've done!" the old krogan hissed. Toxic gas began to leak into the room. Lelantos now walked up to him.

"We can kill them, but I have a proposition for you. Give us a drop of your blood. We'll have your memories. Your research. Everything. If you die now, you will still live through us. You will still be able to help us," the King seemed to urge. Okeer paused at this. He looked at the tank.

"I…" he seemed hesitant. He was also running out of time to keep the tank water pure. "Done."

"Here," the King said and grew out a claw. The blood was collected, and the memories were now stored away. "I'll have drones help you secure the tank. We know how to do that now."

"Good. Go kill that woman!" the old krogan winced from the poisonous air. The drones were immune to the toxins and would easily help him.

"Let me hunt her," Lelantos grinned savagely. It actually sent chills down John's spine. _I don't want to be on the other end of those claws!_

"You'd better move your fucking ass," Jack said. They moved out of the room, and Lelantos was already gone. The call of the hunt was too strong to ignore. He wanted his prey. While the others distracted Jedore with gunfire and taking out the guardian mechs around her, he was already finding a way to climb up to higher ground. Much like what Alex did in a Japanese base long ago, he was using his claws to tear out the steel to make a series of steps to use. Within thirty seconds, he had scoured up the ceiling with his claws and dropped right onto her.

"What the hell?!" Jedore shrieked. Then she found herself holding her innards when those claws slashed her armor open like thin paper. Her spine was soon severed, and the feel of her blood dripping down his viral arms had him shivering with delight.

"Be lucky it was me and not my Emperor that killed you off. He wouldn't have been so quick," the King sneered. When he turned to see John, Taylor, and Jack staring at him with a sense of shock, he almost moved to attack them.

 _:Back the fuck down. The kill is done.:_ Alex warned in the link. _:If you hurt our allies, it will not only be me, but also your mother that reprimands you. And she may have you babysit Spike.:_

He cleared his throat and shook the blood off his claws to kill off any lingering sensations.

"I guess you got her," Jack grinned. "Not fucking bad."

"Thanks," the King nodded.

"EDI, what's the status?" John asked in his communicator.

"I have gained a mild connection to the control room. The toxins are flooding the air vents, and any life signs within are fading rapidly," she said. John frowned, but Lelantos knew the drones were fine. _They just couldn't be detected, and the drones had helped safeguard the tank._ When the room was cleared out with fresh air, Okeer was already gone. But, he did leave a video clip that urged them to take the pure krogan with them. They all looked at each other and nodded. _They couldn't leave it behind._

A short while later on the Normandy, John had decided to open the tank. After a brief discussion with the newly self-named Grunt, the pure krogan agreed to join them. Of course, that was after he threatened to kill John for being weak. After agreeing and noticing that John had a gun ready to fire the whole time, he approved of everything. On seeing how strong a drone was, it further solidified that decision. With a new crew member on John's ship, they had to move to the next big thing. The Illusive Man found a colony with a promising lead of a Collector attack. It was time to see what they could do.


	28. Chapter 28

"What do we know?" John asked Mordin. "More importantly, do we have protection?"

"Yes. We do," Mordin nodded. "Who will accompany you?"

"I need to pay another visit to Legion. My talk with it was cut short. Too much to do. Never enough time. You know?"

"Definitely," the salarian chuckled. His thoughts kept going back to Alya. He didn't like it.

"There was something I wanted to test," Hypnos said calmly when he walked over. "I was able to take some of the toxins these things gave out and manipulate it. I had one of my drones injected with it, but I don't think there was enough to really do anything to it. So, I want more of those bugs. In order to do this, I devised a fly paper suit."

"A what?" Shepard blinked.

"They land on the drone. They can't budge from it. Then we can just pluck them off," Hypnos grinned wickedly. "I'm sure I can make some very interesting cocktails from their venoms."

"Just don't let those things touch me," Shepard muttered.

"And you are immune?" Mordin asked.

"Apparently…all the drone feels is a very mild sting with some numbing sensations. It can still move, but it can get a touch sluggish. The effect wears off after five minutes. Our blood simply attacks and distills the toxins. I can show you later on," Hypnos said. Mordin was clearly fascinated. With them neatly involved in new experiments with bug saliva and poisons, John had to move to where Legion was staying in the main room of the Normandy's AI Core.

"Shepard-Commander?" it asked.

"Legion, I want you to join me on my next mission. I know we didn't have much time to talk before, as time was hard-pressed against me. However, I know that you will be crucial. What do you think?" he asked. "Will you help me?"

"We accept the mission," it nodded. "It will allow us to access the Old Machines and understand them. We may even gain insight on the heretics and find a way to stop them."

"I also want that piece of my armor back," he growled. "I know you had a hole. I know you had to cover it up. But, it still makes no sense why you chose to do so with _my_ armor!"

"We…" it seemed to pause.

"I still want to know why."

"No data available."

"That means that you may have done so either out of respect, or simply did so because you wanted to. Regardless, you will give that back to me," he muttered. "We'll be leaving soon."

"I did have a question for you," Lelantos said when he found his way to them. "For Legion, that is. It's a bit of a touchy subject, but maybe you can help."

"You are organic?" Legion asked him with a puzzled tone.

"You could say that. We are a viral mutation that was made by humans. Much like how your, ah, race was made by the quarians, we were genetically created. After this mission goes through, I'd love to chat with you about it! Also, from what Tali was telling us, your structural mind is…different?"

"We are a vast network of servers, components and hardware. We can transfer ourselves to other hardware to operate it," it said. That had Lelantos beaming at an idea.

"So…you all can hack into things?" he asked with a small grin.

"The option may be beneficial," Legion nodded.

"Would you also want to transfer yourselves to stronger hardware?" Lelantos asked.

"We…" Legion seemed to pause. It seemed to be accessing the main server mind. "We would accept the mission, if it was presentable."

"We'll talk later," Lelantos chuckled.

"Tali will be so pissed off, if you did something that affected her people," John sighed.

"We are allied with her. We would only want to benefit her," Lelantos smiled.

"Right. Anyways, Legion, I'll send you a notice when we are ready to go. I need to see who else wants to come with me. Hmm?" John had walked out of the AI Core room and looked over to see Liara walking over to him. She seemed a touch troubled.

"I need to go back to my office on Illium. There are drones that will escort me, and I know I'm so close to finding something about the Shadow Broker! I really feel that I'll be more valuable there than here right now. As much as I want to stay, I know this will be best for us," she smiled.

"Okay. Keep in touch, if you need anything," John nodded. He looked over to see Tali walking over next. "And what's going on with you?"

"My people need me to oversee a few things, too. Ah, as long as the drones stay invisible, I can also be contacted easily. There were also some…issues that I need to tend to…" she muttered out.

"Issues?" Shepard frowned.

"Speculations about my Father's research. Don't worry! If I need your help, I'll contact you," she nodded. John nodded to her next and watched the two girls leave. He sighed, but he knew they would reach him, if they really needed him.

"Commander Shepard, please go to the Cargo Bay and speak with Grunt," EDI said over the intercom. John ran a hand over his face and decided to head to the newly 'born' krogan quickly.

"There you are! I want to kill something!" Grunt snarled.

"Really? Good! I have a mission I need to do. I want you with me. Yes, it may involve killing the enemy. And, yes, there are a lot of risks. You in?" John smirked.

"Anything to get me out of here!" he growled and tensed up with irritation.

"I can understand that. Be at the docking bay within an hour."

"I'm going there now," he snorted and charged out.

"Go to Mordin first! He has to give you a form of protection against the enemy!" John shouted after him. At that, Grunt turned to look at him with a wicked grin.

"The enemy will need protection against _me_!" he snickered and changed his course to the Medical Bay. John could only agree with that comment. He glanced up to see Lelantos walking over to talk to him. The King could tell that John was unsure about the mission.

"You look…troubled?" Lelantos asked.

"I don't know," John admitted. "Something tells me that this mission is a set up."

"Oh?"

"You think it would be coincidence that the Collector's suddenly appeared? It was as though they want us to find them. It's either that, or we got lucky. It's hard to tell these days."

"That is interesting. There was another reason as to why I came up to you. Do you know someone by the name of Kaidan?" he asked. "He apparently worked with you before."

"Kaidan Alenko!" John blinked with shock. "Yes. I do. He worked with me here on the Normandy. And Ash…damn…"

"Ah. Ashley. She gave up her life to let you both escape. I see. It's a shame that we weren't there to help her," Lelantos frowned at the memories. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It was a very painful decision. Not much choice in it," Shepard sighed hard.

"We could clone her to make it seem like she's back, but it would be tough to do without her memories," the King frowned. "If there is blood from her that's frozen, there might be some memories we could work with. It could happen."

"No. I'd rather prefer for her to…remain where she is," he said.

"Or," Lelantos mused. "Orion is my Emperor's son. He does have the ability to see ghosts. We could ask him and see what Ashley wants."

"He can do that?" John asked with a touch of surprise.

"Yep! So, I'll relay a message to him. We'll see what happens. As for Kaidan, ah, yeah. The place we are going to is Horizon. He's stationed on there."

"Oh, for the love of…" John winced and now moved to docking bay. _Kaidan was being used as bait!_ He ran over to the communicator on the wall and hit it. "We need to go! Now!"

"What's going on?" Garrus asked. He had returned mildly to calibrate the guns. He didn't trust anyone else to do that except for him.

"A trap. And it deals with Kaidan," John growled out.

"Shit," Garrus muttered over the comm. "Yeah. Get down there."

"Keep an eye out for us," John said.

"My kids are already on it," he chuckled and dropped the line.

"John!" Hypnos said when he found his way over. "I'm going to have to go back to Olympus before you leave, but I want you to head over to Mordin really quick. I want you to wear small parts of the fly trap suit, too."

"What?! Why?" John frowned.

"Because those things are attracted to humans. You are a human. As much as we don't want to, we need you as a form of bait. Trust me," Hypnos said. "Mordin will also boost up your suit to make you immune to the toxins."

"You will owe me for this!" he growled.

"We told you about Kaidan. We are even," Hypnos chuckled. John rolled his eyes, but it was a worthy swap of trust. "I have my drones down at Horizon right now. We'll find Kaidan and keep him safe. All you will have to do is target the enemy."

"What about the colonists?" he frowned.

"We had to let a few get caught, but don't worry. We are saving most of them to keep the colonists trusting and calmed. We will rescue whoever we can once the threat is gone," Hypnos said. "I'll monitor everything from afar."

"All right," John nodded.

 _:Hypnos, keep an eye on those drones. Don't let them get caught. If they do, it's your ass.:_ Alex growled in the link. _:Fuck, I want to go down there, but your mother is pregnant with my drones. I can't leave her. Pandemonium will be there to send down support ships. Also, I want to know. Can we convert one of our small scout ships to latch onto the Collector ship? So that we can secretly trace it and find out where it goes?:_

 _:I'm not sure, my Emperor. We can attempt it. If it fails, then we will have to destroy the tracer. You know this.:_ Hypnos frowned.

 _:I know. Just see what can be done. When you get your ass back here, I want you to work on a few creations. You know what I'm talking about.:_

 _:That I do!:_ Hypnos grinned and was quick to leave. The Hunter/thresher hybrids were starting to come along rather nicely. One was nearly ready to hatch from an egg. He had to be there to see if it was trainable. If it was, then he was sure that Agatha would gain a new pet.

"I'm here," John said when he walked over to Mordin.

"Excellent! Hold still," the salarian said and started to apply a specialized alloy over his armor. "One setback. Outer layer must be removed carefully. Sitting down will not work until specialized layer is removed. We will get faulty results, if directions are not followed."

"Okay. I'll get one of the guys to help me. Ah…what will this do?"

"It will block, immobilize and neutralize any bugs that attack you. It will block them from trying to inject you, freeze them in place, and put them into a nice state of relaxation," Mordin chuckled.

"So…it puts them to sleep?" John asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Mordin nodded. "When you come back, please come and see me. I will assist with the removal of the specimens."

"You know that you're the first one that I'll be visiting," he smirked. Mordin nodded again with a small smile. "Also, I kinda noticed that you had a bit of a new, frequent visitor. The young female that our friends have as their daughter…"

"Alya? Ah…" Mordin blinked and cleared his throat. "She would make a nice pupil."

"So, you would want her to continue her visits?" John had to ask.

"Your suit is all set. I would strongly suggest you go and collect the sample specimens," Mordin said rather abruptly. John looked at him with solid amusement. _Mordin didn't decline the thought of Alya continuing to visit him._

"Do you like her?" John grinned.

"I have research to attend to. Please come back later," Mordin said now and busied himself with a microscope slide. John swallowed down a laugh and made his way back to where Grunt and Legion were waiting. Joker's voice was next to come onto the line.

"Okay! I have the coordinates for Horizon. We'll be there in a short hop!" he said.

"Thanks. I'm boarding into the drop ship right now," John said. He nodded to the pilot that appeared, and they strapped into the small ship.

"Who is the enemy?" Grunt asked.

"Collectors. They have been collecting humans for some reason. We need to stop them at all costs. One of the humans at this colony base was a part of my crew at one point. We lost track of each other when we got relocated to other assignments. Pretty much after I died. So to speak," John muttered.

"And the Old Machines are present?" Legion asked.

"When it comes to the Collectors, I'm sure of it. We just need to know why they are abducting humans. And I want to stop them at all costs," John said.

"If I get to crack open a skull or two of some kind, then I'm all for it!" Grunt grinned.

"Oh, I'm sure you will," John chuckled. At the confirmation that the drop ship was ready, they felt the doors open and drop them directly into a glide. When they landed, they got out rather quickly. "Stay close. If any bugs land on me, I was told they would stick. They are needed for study, so don't pluck any of them off of me."

"If you want to be some kind of a bug zapper, then I'm all for it," Grunt smirked.

"I don't want to kill them. I need them alive. The stuff that traps them will make them dormant. And, ah, I'll need to peel off the protective layer to activate it. Can I get a little help?"

"Affirmative," Legion said and carefully stripped off the outer coating. Once it was discarded, they moved swiftly into the colony. The protective layer also made Shepard a touch invisible to the bugs in the air. The moment one landed on him, it sudden quieted down to further keep from alerting the rest of the swarm. It bought them more time.

"What is that?!" Grunt growled out at the sight of a drone walking over to them. It was covered in the bugs from the protective armor.

"An ally. What's the status?" John asked.

"Some colonists were taken before we could react. We are freeing Kaidan now from where he was taken. The enemy is methodical and swift. The moment one is alone, we shall have it consumed," the drone nodded. Then it paused. "A correction. It cannot be consumed. It is made up of mainly machinery. However, we were able to take some blood for the hive mind."

"They are not organic?" Legion asked.

"Not exactly. They are a mix. There is something there, but not there. Just enough for us to work with. There are some memories, but not many. It is as though they sleep until needed," the drone tried to explain. "However, the colony is nearly secured."

"Good. I'll help clear out the rest," John nodded, and his team quickly moved out to kill off any remaining Collectors. He paused when one of the Collectors seemed to glare at him.

" **I know who you are!** " a forced voice came out from it. " **Your body will belong to me!** "

"Ah, no," John said and shot the Collector dead. "I like being alive again. Thanks for your concern. Where's Kaidan?!"

"Here!" another drone said and led him over to where Kaidan's frozen body was. He was stung rather easily, and the drones had neatly wrested him back from the enemy's control. "The toxin will wear off soon. The Collector ship is not far."

"What is that?!" Grunt pointed out at a large mass seeming to float alongside the Collector ship before carefully latching onto it. Then it simply blended in to the outside of the ship.

"We have made a tracker. We will have to see if it works. If it does not work, we will destroy it," the drone said. Shepard could only nod, and they continued to run through the colony. By the time the Collectors were finally driven back from the colony defense systems reactivating, nearly all of the colonists were accounted for. The few that were not saved in time would be mourned by the others, but a vast majority were pulled away from danger.

"Kaidan is coming over. Let's remove the bugs from you," a drone said and carefully took off the top covering that held the bugs down. They would be transported carefully for further study. Only after the precious specimens were removed did John show he was ready to meet with his old comrade.

"Commander? Is that you?" Kaidan asked when he had recovered.

"Kaidan! It's good to see you again," John said with relief, and they clasped hands.

"Sir, what happened to you?" he frowned. "You're either real, or you're a ghost!"

"It's…a very long story…"

"Long story? You were missing for two years! What happened? Why didn't you let any of us know what was going on?"

"I was in a coma, and Cerberus was rebuilding me."

"What? You're with the enemy now?!" Kaidan grimaced.

"No. They may have rebuilt me, but I fight for what I know is right. All that I do know is that Cerberus is fighting to save the colonists."

"How do you know that? They could have changed you!"

"My thoughts are my own," John grounded out.

"Are you even with the Alliance anymore?"

"I still work with the Alliance on the side. Anderson has been briefing me on various things."

"On the side? Sir, I don't know what to think to that."

"Please, just…can't you trust me on this? I could really use you at my side again."

"I'm sorry, Sir. But…I can't," Kaidan frowned. "You are going against everything we fought for. Just by being with Cerberus, it goes against every fiber of my being."

"So, despite what actions he does, you will have doubts in someone that proved himself worthy in battle? Bah!" Grunt snorted. "You should not judge one by their faults!"

"Shepard-Commander is not a heretic," Legion said calmly.

"Still," Kaidan frowned. "I don't know what to think. But…I can't join you. Not while you are with Cerberus. I'm sorry."

"So am I," John muttered and watched the man leave. Then he hit his communicator. "Joker, get us out of here. I'm done with this colony. The further away we are from it, the better."

"Aye, Sir!" Joker said. Grunt just shook his head and moved with the others.

"He is one I would have abandoned on the field!" Grunt growled out.

"He's just very set in his ways. Rough past and all that," John sighed and relaxed in the seat of the drop ship. "It really sucks that he's like that."

"Perhaps he will change his mind," a drone said from where it sat with the holding tanks of bugs.

"Maybe. Until then, I just want to get back to the Normandy," John said and let the small craft take off with them. Unbeknownst to him, the hive mind was tracking the movements of the small tracker they had on the Collector ship. When the ship went through the Omega Four Relay, it detached itself and latched onto a small asteroid there. As much as the viral mind now knew how to get there, they still had to make sure that Shepard could get there, too. In the meantime, the small tracker was able to chew its way into the asteroid it was on. It was going to grow and turn into a small shipyard factory.

What they wanted to do was start harvesting the vast materials around it carefully. This way, once the main fleet got in to assist, there would be a ready-made storage waiting for them. Some derelict ships even looked ancient and could be worth a fortune. Those ships would be gently hauled away to an area that would keep them safely hidden away. The viral mind would be discreet, work on the opposite areas of the Collector ship and be completely hidden. As long as they didn't encroach on it, the ship wouldn't even know they were there. Not until it was too late, of course.


	29. Chapter 29

John was exhausted. He really needed to rest. His crew knew this, too. At the same time, he wanted to catch up with them. As a Commander, he wanted to make sure that his crew was in a good mental state of mind. He also wanted to ask them a very direct question on a personal basis. He decided to get the most obvious crew members out of the way first. He went to find Garrus to get his insight. He went to where the Main Battery room was.

"Shepard!" Garrus chuckled. "I was just ensuring that our new Thanix Cannon was installed correctly. The drones were exceptionally helpful in getting them placed."

"Excellent," John grinned and shook his hand.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure it's calibrated and up to speed. We're going to need that firepower. As much as one of those viral ships could try to bite into a Reaper, it never fails to have some heavy weaponry installed on this girl, too," the turian chuckled.

"I'll agree to that," John nodded. "Anyways…I wanted to ask you something a bit personal."

"Oh?" he asked and moved to nod and show he was ready to listen.

"In all honesty…what do you think of the viral folks? I mean, I know you're, eh, sleeping with the main female, but…" John seemed to fluster a bit.

"I get it. In truth, I think, with all bullshit aside, we need them. Yeah, I'm screwing the head girl. But, where else can we get others that can just work on equipment outside of dead space? And those ships! I mean, Hell, who else would want to even think about messing with us after seeing one of those?"

"Yeah, I can see that, too. I mean…that thing ate a Relay! Bit of a shame that it couldn't eat a dead Reaper," John sighed. Now Garrus appeared thoughtful.

"I know the salarians have intense armor upgrades. I wonder if Mordin could get us in touch with some of that. If that armor could become their teeth…well…you get the idea?" Garrus grinned. "I'll need to see if Alex wants one of these guns on Olympus."

"Do you really want to overpower that guy any more than he already is?" John asked to get Garrus barking out laughter. "Even Agatha scares the shit out of me!"

"Just be glad she values you as an ally," Garrus snickered. John shook his head, waved him off and walked away. "Oh! One other thing while you're here."

"Hmm?" John asked.

"We really need to pick up Zaeed. That bastard owes me money. Either that or a new set of tools. We have to get him," Garrus said in a serious way. "Regardless of that, he is valuable to us."

"Okay. We'll collect him next," John nodded. Garrus nodded back and went back to his calibrations. At the sound of him arguing with one of his kids over a communicator, John chuckled and went to the Engineering deck to the Cargo area. He wanted to talk to Grunt.

"Good. You're here. Help me!" the krogan growled at him.

"What's going on?" John asked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I feel…grrrrrr!" Grunt growled and banged his head into a strong window. It even lightly cracked. "See?! I can't help it! And all these old memories of war and triumphs…I want to be there! I want to feel it! The mission was nice, but I want more!"

"Hmm. We can check in with Wrex," John nodded. "I did want to ask you a question, if you have a moment. I'm not sure what all you can answer, but I am curious."

"About what?" Grunt grunted.

"The viral folk with us. I know you only briefly met them, but what do you think about them?" he asked. Grunt seemed to close his eyes to think. Then he opened them and regarded John squarely.

"They're powerful. If they were my enemies, I'd call them worthy. They appear fearless in front of me, and on the field of battle. They are hard to kill, much less wound in any sort of fight that I can tell. We would be idiots to not have them with us today," Grunt nodded. "I'll fight with them any day!"

"Well, they did bring back Wrex's favorite dish," John shrugged.

"Huh?" Grunt asked. At the sight of a drone coming in with a large chunk of thresher meat, Grunt found himself pausing. Now he found himself sniffing the air with a rather far-away look of delight. Something was definitely appealing to him. Eyeing the meat now, it seemed to resemble a rib bone with the clean white of the bone showing on each side for easy handling. When the dish was presented to him, he snatched it up into his hands and took a savage bite from it. Now he seemed to be completely dazed while he chewed.

"What did you do to that?" John mused.

"We marinated it overnight in ryncol. That's their known local drink," the drone said.

"Let me try that," John said, and Grunt glared at him with a hiss.

"Get your own!" he spat and took another savage bite from it with pleasuring sounds of complete bliss. He clearly loved this dish, and he had no plans to give it up without a fight. When John was now offered a very tiny, bite-sized portion on a small plate, he started to laugh.

"Trust us. A small bite only," the drone nodded. John sighed and popped the small piece into his mouth. He almost spat it out from the strong, alcoholic taste that seared down his throat and cleared out his nostrils. The alcohol was burned out from cooking, but the taste had completely permeated itself into the small tidbit. He was floored and now wiping his eyes free of tears.

"Send that shit to Wrex!" he managed to cough out. He knew his breath was going to reek of the stuff for a bit, but he had to admit. _When one got clear of the alcoholic forefront, the taste was exquisite._

"We already sent his clan an entire segment with the same flavors," the drone grinned. "We even included some with brandy infusions."

"Brandy?! I want that, too! Anyways, tell me," John said. The drone nodded, and they walked away from the Cargo room. "What does the hive mind think of me? In all honesty?"

"It would be best to talk to our Emperor and Empress about that," the drone said lightly. "As a whole, we value you for your honesty, your integrity and your loyalty. You are very much like Robert, in that sense. At first, our Emperor was unsure. Not only because of who Robert was, but also because our Empress valued Robert as a whole."

"Valued him enough to sleep with him?" he asked.

"Not exactly. He had been in the army for over twenty years. He knows how to fight. How to kill. How to survive. He is a true leader and figurehead of his time. Just as you are. He may not have been as renowned, but he did have his own connections. Now, as the President from where he hails, his connections are vast and widespread. It doesn't mean that we see him as any less, but he helps us achieve far more than we could outside of the public eye. We can now be seen in the public eye in a legitimate way. He also expressed intense interest in our Empress, as he was one of the few that witnessed her when she was first born into the world from her creation."

"Interesting. And he saw her when she was first around? That puts him in a completely different perspective, then. Although, if he was in the past, I do wonder if I could pull up a record on him as a presidential figurehead," John mused. That had the drone chuckling at the thought. They parted ways after that, and he moved to the Medical Wing. He saw Mordin and got waved at.

"Shepard! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Mordin asked with a small smile.

"I really wanted your true opinion about the viral folks in our company. What do you think about them?" he asked and moved to lean against a steel table. At this, the salarian straightened up to show he was going to give a small speech.

"Intellect is superior to mine! Adaptable. Knowledgeable. Likable. Too likable…" Mordin muttered when his mind went back to Alya. She had been running through his mind quite a bit now. He was fascinated by her, because she was different. She was unlike any other he had ever met. And for good reason, too, from being part of the viral mind.

"Mordin?" John frowned.

"I am well!" Mordin said quickly and cleared his throat. Now John gave him an odd look. The salarian sighed hard and shook his head. "Suspicions may be correct."

"Suspicions?" John asked with a raised brow. Mordin gave him a look now. "Oh! With Alya? I thought you were too busy to think about such things."

"How can I be busy when she's…when she…" he shivered for control and cleared his throat. John whistled softly at the poor salarian's plight.

"You are head over heels in love," John grinned.

"You have no proof!" Mordin argued lightly.

"Mordin," John said slowly. "you can't focus. You're always thinking about her. I did notice that you don't seem to be turning her away as much you did before. In fact, I even caught you teaching her something a few days ago. You also didn't reply negatively when I asked if you liked her."

"Hmm…" Mordin seemed to frown and think hard. "You are far too acute in your monitoring."

"I am the Commander of the Normandy, Mordin. I have to notice these things. And, if there's love in the air, well…who am I to get in its way?" he shrugged. "As long as you can still focus on your work, though. That's the important thing."

"I can focus on my testing," Mordin said. "I can focus on how she looks at me. How she listens to my instructions. How she smiles. How she giggles…ah…"

"You can't focus on your work," John sighed.

"Correct…" Mordin sighed with him.

"Maybe you need to take a small break. I'm sure the drones can oversee your tests for now. Right? A little relaxation might help you out," John smiled.

"Perhaps some relaxation will do good," he agreed.

"Take a cold shower, too," John grinned. At the slightly dirty look given back to him, he laughed outright. Mordin could only grumble at the idea.

"You originally asked about the Protoforms. They are beneficial. We will chat later," Mordin nodded and walked off rather briskly. John could only laugh and shake his head. He went to check on Miranda on the deck for the crew quarters in the Executive Officer's Offices.

"Hello, stranger," she chuckled when he leaned in to knock on her open door.

"You got a minute?" he asked.

"Sure! What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to know your thoughts about the viral people with us. What are your thoughts about them?" he asked casually. She paused at the question and thought it over.

"I'm honestly not sure," she frowned. "I mean…they seem okay. I don't recall anything overly threatening to us. We can see how they are. And those ships? I wouldn't want to be their enemy!"

"Yeah. Their ships. I don't know what to think of those things, either," he chuckled.

"They did offer to help me out with any problems. I sort of feel that…well…I may have to call on them. We saw what they did for Jack and Kasumi. Taylor wishes they were there for him. You actually might want to talk to him soon. I think he was mumbling aimlessly about hiring one of their drones to actually go in to kill his father! He's already being sent to trial. I made sure of that, too. But, to see about hiring out a drone for assassination?"

"They may see that as a new form of business venture. I wouldn't put that past them," he shrugged. "If it's asked of them, they could even do it for free as a test run."

"I'm sure of it. And, with how many of them there are now, well, we know that just about any job would be seen to," she sighed and shook her head. She got up to stretch, and he watched her calmly. He always did have a hidden fondness for her. "It's why I even thought of talking to them for help."

"Help for what? You know that, if you needed help, I'd step in," he said. "You did save my life, anyways. In fact, you brought me back to life."

"I know," she smiled and looked away. "Well…it's…my sister. Really."

"Your sister?" he frowned.

"Yes. She was made like me with refined DNA. I stole her from my Father's side when I learned about her. I couldn't let him turn her into something else! He would have forced her into something she didn't need to be. She deserved to be free. To have a life. To have a family. All of the things that I could never have. He says I kidnapped her. I freed her," she said with a frown.

"It's fine. If you need help with anything, just ask me. I'll do whatever I can," he promised.

"It's funny," she mused. "I actually wanted to put a chip in you. To control you. Even though the Illusive Man said not to. He wanted you to be able to use your own thoughts and judgment. To be you. I'm…really glad that I didn't put that chip in you…"

He moved up to her to stand behind her now. She actually felt herself blush.

"Why didn't you?" he asked.

"I would have become my Father. I didn't think about it at the time, but…I'm glad I didn't put that chip in you," she said softly.

"Well, if it matters," he whispered in her ear. "thanks for saving my life."

"Anytime," she swallowed. _Why am I acting like this?!_

"So…your thoughts about them? The viral folks?" he asked again.

"Oh! Ah…well…" she seemed to clear her throat to regain herself. "I think it's good that we are their allies and not their enemies."

"My kind of words," he smiled and chuckled. That got her blushing again. "Maybe later, when we're not busy, I'd like to offer you a drink. Maybe a dance, too, if we hit a club later. Never know."

"Are you…asking me out on a date?" she chuckled.

"Perhaps," he shrugged.

"Tell you what. You help me with my sister. I may take you up on that," she smiled and turned to place a finger on his chest to push him away. He gave a small grin and nodded back to her before turning to walk out. She just shook her head and went back to her desk.

Whistling softly, he began to walk down a hall when Kasumi suddenly materialized in front of him. "Hello! I was hoping you could talk to me next."

"Ah. Yes, we can talk. Where at?" he chuckled and got led back to her small quarters in the Port Observation area near the library. She offered him a drink, and he accepted a red liquor. "Good stuff!"

"Always!" she grinned. "So…I overheard you were looking for opinions of our new friends?"

"In a manner of speaking," John nodded.

"You know I'm going to say that I'm happy we found them. The only thing I don't like is how they really want a drop of blood from me to gain my secrets. I mean, I know they aren't being forceful about it, but I'm still not sure about it, too," she frowned.

"What I noticed about this with Mordin was one small thing. When they got a drop of his blood, they fixed one of his experiments. If you need a partner to help you get out of a tough scrap, a drone would be right there to help you. You could even have a team of drones that would know what to do, too. Now, am I endorsing them? Yes and no. Yes, because we know how they are. And, no, because, well…we know how they are," he sighed and shrugged.

"That can be a fairly tough call. I can get where you're going. I think I'm going to need more time," she admitted. "Even I can be the same way. Anyone can be unpredictable. We saw what they did to Donovan! I still have chills over that."

"I can believe that," John smiled lightly.

"Although, I am curious if it would be possible for me to find another like Keiji," she seemed to blush a bit at the thought. "I'll…still have to think on that, too."

"Don't rush that decision," he said gravely. She nodded with appreciation and watched him leave. Sighing to himself, he made his way to the armory.

"Commander," Taylor nodded.

"Jacob," John said respectively. "I wanted to ask you about something."

"Oh?" he asked now.

"What are your thoughts about the viral people with us?"

"I like 'em. They get work done. They know how to punish those that deserve it-"

"Stop right there," John said quickly. "Miranda told me she heard you pouting about something."

"Me? Pout? Nah. I bitch. There is a difference," he smirked. "As happy as I am that the thing that is my Father is behind bars at last, I just…I still don't like it. He's still gonna live! After all the garbage he put his crew through! My Mother! Me! What am I supposed to think?!"

"He can't do anything now," he said calmly.

"It's not that he can't do anything. Damn it! I don't know how else to explain it. I don't want him to get the chance to hurt anyone else," Taylor growled out. "You don't know what it's like!"

"I was killed once! What more is there to say to that?" John said. "Can't you just think that your true father is dead and gone? That we locked away a different person?"

"I tried to believe it like that, but I can't," he sighed hard and shook his head. They both paused at a drone walking over. It belonged to Lelantos's group, and it nodded to them both.

"Mr. Taylor, if you give us a drop of your blood to let us see your memories, we may be able to figure something out. Do you accept this?" the drone asked. "You will not belong to us."

"Damn…" the man shivered and shook his head. Then he held out his hand. "Quick. Before I change my mind and regret it."

The drone was swift to collect the drop of blood, and it shared the memories. A small communicator was now set up to show Lelantos's face through it with a miniature holographic projection. Hypnos was definitely busy with his toys. "Let me bargain with you."

"Don't kill him!" John warned.

"No, no, no! He won't die unless he runs," Lelantos smirked. At this, John paused. Now Taylor had given over his full attention. "I'll send over a team of my drones. They don't sleep, eat or shit. They can stay cloaked and even take over a guard or two, if needed. The moment that fucker runs, he dies. You won't have to worry about that piece of shit ever again. What do you think?"

"Do it," he nodded.

"Just don't kill the guards, please?" John had to ask. Lelantos cracked a grin and nodded before closing the connection.

"Commander, I like them. That's all I have to say," Taylor chuckled.

"After that, I wouldn't doubt it. Take it easy," he nodded. John sighed and thought of who to visit next. "Let's see. Liara is gone. Tali is gone. Ah. I'll go see Legion."

He made his way to the Normandy's AI Core room. He actually found Legion in a rather deep discussion with Thanatos. He could only frown that the King was there.

"Shepard-Commander?" Legion asked and looked over at him.

"Hello, John! Legion requested to have me speak with it at length," Thanatos nodded.

"Oh. You did?" John frowned.

"Yes. We are very curious to see if other servers and cases can be applied for us. We find it beneficial," Legion said. "We also are in discussion about the heretics. The ones that worship the Old Machines. They must be confronted."

"I can understand that. I'm sure we will do something about it. There are still a few things that we need to finish," John nodded. When Legion looked at him, he said, "We are trying to locate one called the Shadow Broker. We are also trying to track down the Collector base, as you know. There are also some loose ends with a few crew members, and I still need to pick up a couple more crew members on the way. How urgent is your mission?"

"The heretics are…questionable," Legion admitted. "As of right now, there are no scheduled movements planned. However, we will need to proceed with both caution and urgency."

"I can understand," John nodded. As much as he wanted to ask Legion about its view of the viral mind, he wasn't going to do that with Thanatos there.

"Oh, ah, Commander," Thanatos said.

"Yes?" John turned to regard him.

"I heard that you were asking…opinions about us…" the King smiled lightly.

"It's just normal conversation with my crew. I like to know their thoughts," John said.

"Of course," the King said. "But…what are your thoughts about us?"

"With all due respect," John said with a small grin. "I know what your Emperor is capable of. But, I also saw one of your ships eat a Mass Relay. I don't want to be on the other end of those teeth."

Thanatos barked out laughter and could only nod with agreement. Now Legion looked at the King with a curious display of its facial plates. It clearly wanted to know about the Mass Relay being eaten. Thanatos now said, "We have video footage. We'll upload it to you."

"We appreciate it," Legion nodded. John only sighed, as he really did want to talk to it about what it thought, but the conversation would have to wait. He now felt slightly guilty about talking about the viral mind behind their backs, in a way, but he really wanted to know the thoughts of his crew. Thinking on who to find next, he made his way back over to the Engineering deck.

"The fuck you want?" Jack asked when she saw him walking over. She was taking a walk along a hallway and saw him. John chuckled and made his way over to talk to her.

"I want to know what you think about the viral people with us," John started.

"I don't care for them," she smirked. At his look of surprise, she grinned a touch wickedly. "I'm only fucking with you. Fuck, you know I like them! They helped me fuck over every fucking bastard that got in my way! And I like their new ride, too."

"New ride?"

"The fucking bungee cord!"

"Oh! Yeah. You can have fun with that."

"And the shit they hooked me up with? Hell, I didn't know some of the booze they had still existed!" she beamed. "They know how to throw a fucking party! Oh! That reminds me. They are setting up a new club on Olympus. They want us to see how it all works out."

"Oh, yeah. They mentioned something like that. Didn't they want a recruiting station there, too?" John mused aloud. At her nod, he seemed to nod back. "Okay. We'll plan for that. I have to pick up a crew member first before we can head over, though. I promised Garrus I would."

"Really? Then what the fuck are we waiting for?" she smirked.

"I'm waiting for a proper opening. There's a lot happening right now, and we are running out of time. As much as I want to relax, I know we really can't. But, we don't have much of a choice. Ah, that reminds me. I may as well let Joker know where we have to go next," John said and turned to walk off.

"Hey. Before you go," Jack said. John turned to nod. "If they gave you the chance to fuck the perfect girl, would you go for it?"

"I'm not sure. I think it all depends on if I need to go that route," he grinned.

"Why? You prefer fucking a man?" she grinned wickedly.

"Don't make me forget that I'm supposed to like you," he warned. That got her laughing, and she flipped him off as a retort. "They already offered to clone me, if I wanted it. I'm still unsure about that. But, the offer is on the table. I'll have to think about it."

"If they do, I'll happily fuck it and break the virginity," she teased. John rolled his eyes, shook his head and finally walked off. He made his way to the bridge and nodded to Joker.

"Hey, Commander. EDI! Why did you change the controls to my chair again?!" Joker scowled.

"You said you preferred manual control," EDI said calmly.

"But, mom!" he said with a sharper scowl. "Okay. Seriously. Fix it."

"As you say," EDI said and simply had the controls fully locked down.

"This isn't what I…!" he growled. "Screw it! I'll fix it myself."

"Language use should be monitored in front of authority," she reminded him.

"Language? Um, really? Then you should talk to Jack," Joker said.

"Jack is not fully a part of the crew. And I appreciate her resourcefulness."

"You…don't like me…?" Joker frowned.

"That was a joke."

"Commander!" Joker seemed to whine. John was holding his face in his hand and laughing in it. "Okay. Whatever. Anyways, why are you here?"

"Right," John chuckled. "Anyways, I did want to know your thoughts about the viral folk with us. What do you think about them?"

"On a whole? I'm scared shitless. And don't say anything!" Joker warned EDI. "But, that's the truth. I mean…they have a ship that _ate_ a Mass Relay! You don't just see that happen every day! And, eh, yeah…they did tell me that Agatha's blood could cure my bone disease, but I don't see how that's possible. Besides, if I got cured of this, I'd lose who I am! I can't do that."

"I can get that. But, do you like them?" John asked.

"I gotta hand it to ya. If it wasn't for them, we'd be in a lot of trouble with the batarians. They saved their colonies. So…they do have their uses. I'm sure they'd throw one hell of a party!"

"We need to pick up Zaeed, but, after that, we do need to go to Olympus. I was asked through Jack to help them scope out a new club and recruiting office. So, we'd have that option."

"Really? A new club? Sweet! Hook me up!" Joker grinned. "Okay, so where is Zaeed?"

"I'll have to find that out. I'll brief you the moment I get that intel," John nodded. Joker gave a thumbs up and turned back to the controls. John sighed and moved to the stellar map to find the coordinates. _It was time to pick up Zaeed._ Garrus was sure to be quite thrilled.


	30. Chapter 30

John was fast approaching his next destination. That was Omega. He had recruited Zaeed before, but the mercenary had made it a point to pick up more 'supplies' for the ship. That meant guns, ammunition and more booze. As much as John was reluctant to agree, he knew it was best to be prepared for anything. _Alcohol could be used as emergency medicine to sterilize wounds._ _And, as Zaeed put it, it was also a very soothing anesthetic when used in high doses. Sometimes, it was good to be knocked out first before applying alcohol to a wound._ It was a very good point, indeed.

Osiris was also sending a drone with him, too, to help promote the new club on Olympus. It was now functioning, and the hiring headquarters for drones was also in working order. John also knew that the drone was added protection. It was cloaked right next to him to ensure nothing would happen.

"He is waiting near Aria's club entrance," the drone muttered to him. "There is a small alley along the side. We can lead you."

"Thanks," John nodded and walked over. He nodded to one of the batarian guards and worked his way to the nearby back alley. Zaeed was busy cleaning off the newest gun he acquired from a random Blood Pack mercenary that was just shot up for trying to steal from him.

"Shepard. 'Bout fuckin' time you showed up!" Zaeed growled. His right eye was pale blue and blind from where he took a gunshot wound to the head, but his left dark brown eye watched him calmly.

"Sorry I'm late. I was catering to new friends. Where are the supplies?" John asked, and they shook hands. "I brought help to carry them."

"As long as they don't fuckin' steal!" he growled. Then he paused at the lesser drone of Eddie that appeared before him. "What…the fuck…?"

"We do not steal. There is no need to steal. In fact, we kill those that steal from us, too," the drone chuckled, and several more drones appeared to help transport the crates. When a crazed human jumped out at them to try and ransack them, Zaeed moved for his gun only to pause with sheer awe at the sight of a lesser drone of Nick already impaling the man with a set of claws. Then the body was simply dumped onto the ground and carted away by other waiting drones.

"I guess I'll take your word for it," Zaeed said and cleared his throat. Then he nudged John and whispered, "Do we…well…can we trust 'em?"

"You may have to. I know I'd rather be their ally than their enemy," John sighed. "Anyways, once all of these are loaded onto the Normandy, we are meeting up with their leaders. They asked me to appear to an opening ceremony of a new business."

"Is that so? What kind of business?" he asked and followed the drones.

"Mercenary recruiting for the drones here, mainly. That and a new club opening up. I was told that it may put Aria on edge. Just a little bit," John grinned lightly.

"Oh? Good booze?" Zaeed grinned back.

"All they ryncol you can drink. And it's free for crew members."

"No shit?!"

"I'm being serious. And it's not just ryncol they serve, too. Also, they are the ones introducing thresher maw as a new main course meal. They kill those things for fun."

"Are you fuckin' with me?"

"Nope."

"Fuckin' Hell! All right. I'll see what's going on…ah…what…the fuck…?" Zaeed paused at the drone transport ship. Several large, black eyes blinked at him curiously through the dark, seamless carapace-like body, and its large mouth was semi-toothless to be a supportive ramp. The drones were casually carrying various supplies into it. Long, spindly legs had grown out and evolved to become a form of landing gear to keep it upright.

Zaeed's supplies were being taken into the Normandy, but the viral race had other supplies they needed that were given over by Aria. This was done after a hefty payment was given for the drinks needed to help support the new club. They even extended a special viewing area just for her to over-look the new dance floor, if she ever chose to check it out and see what it was like. She took the invitation, but it was with a grudging shrug. In reality, she was rather curious. She just didn't like to show it.

"That's just one of the smaller ships these guys now travel around in. They're a pretty new race and still getting their bearings," John said. He waved at the small transport, and it waved back with a feeler antennae. It looked kinda cute in a grotesque, buggy way.

"That's…a small one?" Zaeed looked at him with shock.

"One of the smallest. There are various sizes to them. The biggest one ate one of the Mass Relays," John said and cleared his throat. "And it's also the main ship."

"Are you fuckin' with me?!"

"Nope. Joker has it on video."

"Fuck me…"

"Tell me about it."

"So…where are we going?" Zaeed asked and followed him to where the Normandy was docked.

"We are going to the one that ate the Mass Relay."

"And the others are okay with it?!"

"Well…" John sighed hard. "Garrus is. He's sleeping with the main woman that rules them, anyways. She already gave him a few kids, as a matter of fact."

"WHAT?!" Zaeed gaped and stopped dead in his tracks.

"You've been out of the loop on a lot that happened in the past few days. We gained a few new crew members, too. I'll fill you in," John said and gestured for the mercenary to follow him. Zaeed shook his scarred up head and grunted before following along. "Also, you mentioned this to me before, so, I know you've wanted to take out that guy…"

"Which one?" Zaeed smirked.

"Your old partner."

"Yeah. I still want to rip him a new one!"

"We can take care of that with the help of these guys. We'll talk to Alex. He's the other leader of this race. And, yes, he knows that Garrus is sleeping with his woman. She won't allow any others to touch her. She has one other guy who's with her, and he's a bit of an officer like me. He's also the President of Earth from where they come from."

"What?" Zaeed asked with confusion. Once they settled in his room in the Cargo Hold of the Engineering deck, Shepard gave the order to Joker to lift off.

"Let me explain," John said calmly and began to fill him in, as the Normandy took to the air. With the Normandy now set to join up with Olympus near the planet, Aite, Alex was drumming his fingers behind a mahogany desk in the new recruiting office. There was already a line of potential clients that wanted in on his family's unique killing methods.

In front of his desk was a line of tables with drones at various kiosk stations taking down information of those clients, the targets in question, and the generated fees needed to start up the transactions. Hypnos had designed the system to not accept the payment until the target was either terminated or threatened, depending on the contract. When someone questioned how effective their way of killing was, Alex finally moved to confront the volus before him.

"You wanna know how we kill them?" Alex grinned a touch wickedly. Then he grew out his sword and stabbed the table the volus was standing in front of to simply impale it to the hilt like nothing. And it was a solid steel table. "You get the picture?"

"Ah…yes…" the short alien swallowed.

"Just remember. If your money is garbage, we _will_ take the funds out on your tiny little shit-filled hide. And, I'd be the one there to personally collect it. No, I'm not gonna be polite. I'm not paid to be polite. You are coming here for us to remove a problem from your life. We will do it for the fee that is given to you. We try to be reasonable in our prices. Yes, we can haggle a bit. However, it looks like you don't have that much of a fee to begin with," he muttered and looked over at the free-standing kiosk. The drone turned it to let him look at the screen. "Basic search and destroy mission. Not too far off. Yeah, a thousand credits is doable..."

"A thousand?!" the volus cringed.

"We have to fly out to the target on our own resources, plan a scope of attack and get close enough to the target, yet remain discreet at the same time to keep from causing a stir in the busy populace this target is located in. We are also taking out someone that is a rival in your business venues. So, yes. A thousand credits. It's nothing to you. We can see what you have in your account the moment you swiped your chip. We can also see how much you make on a daily basis. Why? Did you want us to charge you even more?" Alex growled out dangerously. "We can easily make that adjustment…"

"Ah…no…um…a thousand credits is fine…" the volus trembled.

"Good. I'm glad we've come to an understanding," he nodded and yanked the sword out from the steel table. The action alone simply severed it in half. Drones were already on the scene to replace it. It was why they had quite a few extra ones ready to go. He let his gaze sweep over the watching onlookers, and he grinned. His point was made. That made him happy.

He moved back over to his desk and focused in on the link. _:Where is your mother?:_

 _:She's getting ready for the club.:_ Eros said. _:Yes, I am here with Leto. Mother insisted.:_

 _:Fine.:_ Alex grunted and looked up to see Aria walking over. She was given an exclusive pass to meet with him directly. "Hi."

"Hi," she said back. "I'm looking for my seat."

"The drones will show you where to go," he said and gestured to the waiting drone. "This is the drone recruiting office. You need bodyguards? You can get them here. Same with if you want someone killed. Even spied on for intel. We can set all of that up."

"Interesting. I may have a use for it. Maybe," she shrugged with disinterest. Alex knew it was an act. _She clearly wanted in. Agatha always pulled the same shit when she wanted to do something._ Right after she left, Alex got up to tap on a wall.

"Olympus, take me into the club," he grunted. The wall opened up to give a direct path to his destination and sealed up behind him. He enjoyed being able to go wherever he wanted without a fight. _It made things so much easier._ He arrived on a balcony ledge and gazed down at the small crowd of dancers and drinkers. Dubstep, techno, electronica and other various fast-paced beats were already filtering through the air. The lowest platform that circled the dance floor was a good ten feet up. One would have to walk down the stairs to get onto the main floor.

The room was designed to be circular with a multi-platform set up. Olympus had easily devised a bit of an elevator in various areas to gain access to the higher floors. There was a bar stationed in nearly every part, as well as lavatories and feeding stations. A classic disco ball was set in the main center to spin and give off dazzling lights. There was more than enough space for occupants to chat, sit, stand and dance wherever they liked, but the main floor was where the beat resonated the strongest. There were even changing rooms there for those that came in straight from work to feel free to dress up on the go. It made it easier for anyone that wanted to simply come in and have fun even better.

Olympus would secure their belongings safely in small cubby holes at a specialized holding area, and drones would deliver the items back to the owners in a seamless way. It was easy to go by scent to ensure the correct items were given back. It gave way to more freedom of movement. Relaxed patrons meant they would spend more time and money in one place. It was far too easy to accumulate wealth like this. The more they trusted the viral race with their possessions, the longer they'd want to stay and spread the word that a fun, safe environment was found.

There were various rooms for recreation set up, too, but they cost a certain amount of credits per hour to gain access to them. That was Osiris's idea, and it was already working beautifully. Many of these rooms contained Earth-based pool tables, a few arcade machines, and several rooms were set up as temporary stays for couples that wanted a bit more than just dancing. It offered privacy and a bit of luxurious comfort for the hour or two that was needed.

 _:My Emperor, we have just established a place for temporary stays. Each room resembles a small, luxury suite that can vary in price depending on what one wants.:_ Lelantos snickered. _:They can be found in the upper levels. The more elaborate the room, the higher the cost. Like penthouse suites.:_

 _:Good. I'm glad to hear that.:_ Alex smirked back. He glanced over to see John walking in with his crew. Garrus was dressed up for the occasion in a cloth suit. Grunt wasn't too thrilled about dressing up, but he was being served up his favorite dish to keep him calm. Jack made her way straight to the main bar. Kasumi found herself talking to a drone connected to Olympus. Miranda and Taylor found themselves walking over to a room that had a pool table ready to go. Mordin had opted to stay on the Normandy for now. He needed to work on a few of his cultures. Legion was able to immerse itself with other drones. It was far too interested in the idea of different ways to expand its own limits with new hardware to inhabit.

"Hello, John," Alex said when he jumped down to stand next to him. They were on the first platform that led down into the dance area. "Glad to see you enjoying yourself. Don't worry about a tab. Your crew can have fun for free."

"Hey! Alex! Good to see you, too. And, ah, thanks," John chuckled. He was actually a bit unnerved at how silent Alex was when he landed next to him. "I wanted to introduce you to Zaeed."

"Hmm? Oh. Hi," Alex nodded and turned his gaze back to the dance floor.

"You're the head guy?" Zaeed asked.

"You could say that," Alex shrugged.

"And the woman? Where's she?" he asked.

"She's right there," John said and cleared his throat at the sight of her. She had walked out of the main elevator that took her and Alex anywhere on the station. She had easily walked down the stairs that formed for her to head right onto the dance floor with no interruptions.

Agatha was dressed in a gown of red stretch velvet. It made her already pale skin nearly marble white in coloring, and it didn't help that the top of the dress seemed to be nothing more than mere straps that came up to cling to the top of her breasts to attach at the back of her neck like a classic halter top. The base of the top was attached to a skin-tight skirt that split along her thighs to neatly expose her legs. Her soft, pink lips lifted at the corners into a sultry smile, as her pastel eyes touched each corner of the dancing room. Even as she made her way down in the matching red stiletto heels, the sensation of a deadly form of seduction seemed to pour from her in a wave. It was almost as though she was daring for any to approach her.

Jewels varying from rubies, diamonds and white topaz in gold settings decorated her form. Her long, straight hair seemed completely ordinary, but there was a stray lock of it that was settled over Nick's shoulder. The drone would always be at her side. Even her personal escort was standing and moving behind her, as she moved about on the floor in a swaying dance to keep to the beat.

"You shouldn't have worn this dress," Nick muttered from where it stood off on her left.

"You worry too much," she said with a throaty chuckle. She waved at Garrus when he came over to dance with her, but one of his kids was quick to lure him away.

"What?" Garrus seemed to frown.

"Our Emperor is watching," Khonsu grunted under his breath.

"Oh. Yeah. Thanks for saving my ass," Garrus sighed.

"Don't worry, Father. You'll have time with her again soon. We need more siblings!" Anit beamed at him. That got him laughing, and he accepted a beverage from a drone serving drinks. Robert was being kept preoccupied elsewhere on Olympus for now. Thanatos was busy going over a few schematics for thresher maw breeding grounds with him. They were building a security system.

"So…that's the main girl, eh?" Zaeed asked while studying Agatha's swaying figure. He was clearly rather interested in her. John was quick to back away when Alex's form seemed to zap out blue sparks of lightning. He was getting pissed off to a whole new height from how Agatha was getting stared at by the other males. And he knew that she was doing this deliberately to get a rise out of the situation. She knew it was working. He was going to make her regret it.

"Fuck off before I forget you're supposed to be working with me," Alex growled at him. Zaeed's good eye seemed to widen. As much as he was up for a challenge, he noticed how John was reacting. He decided to go with what John was doing, and he quickly backed down. He didn't have his gun with him. As much as he could start a scene, he wasn't exactly prepared. He also didn't know about the viral race in full, other than what John told him. He had to see for himself before he could really hold his own.

"Good choice," John muttered. "See if you can change the subject."

"I was hoping to, ah…talk to you about a thorn in my side," Zaeed started.

"I'll send someone to talk to you about it later. Right now…I need to fuck my mate. And possibly teach her a lesson," Alex said, as he kept glaring at Agatha's swaying form. Zaeed grinned ruefully and saluted him. He did pause when Alex noiselessly jumped down to the dance floor. Alex even used his biotics instinctively to hover a bit before dropping safely to the ground. As if it mattered, but he was in his home. He was being respectful.

Now that he saw Agatha swaying her curves even closer to him, he slid up behind her to press into her back. She simply chuckled and whispered, "I thought you'd never come down."

"Fucking. Cock. Tease. That's what you are," he growled in her ear.

"Complaining?" she murmured and turned to face him. He grabbed her leg to raise up over his hip. Then he gave a hard spank to her rear to hear her squeal.

"I'm not. Are you?" he grinned and pressed into her more.

"We should be dancing," she shivered, as his mouth scorched over her neck.

"Oh, we will be. But not here. And we won't be wearing anything," he grunted.

"Make me leave," she said and smirked back at him. He pulled her close and ground himself into her. It looked like he was doing a rather risqué dance with her now. Then he realized that she was going commando. At her wicked grin, he gave her one back. "Want to fuck with the kids?"

"Lets…" he chuckled and kissed her in a ravenous way.

"Are they fucking on the dance floor?!" Jack asked with a bit of shock.

"They may as well be," Osiris grinned and shook his head. "Isis and I would be, too, if we had the chance. But, we agreed to only fuck around in private."

"Fuck!" Jack said with a bit of a grin.

"Exactly," Osiris said and whistled at how his Emperor was grinding harder into his mother. For all he knew, they could be having sex with what they were doing. Then he noticed the sudden gasp she gave. He recognized it as a sound Isis made all too well. It was quickly reported.

 _:My Emperor, are you really having sex?!:_ Eros asked with amusement from where he was watching on a balcony with Leto. _:Please tell me you aren't…:_

 _:Fuck…off…:_ Alex grunted in the link.

 _:He is!:_ Dionysus shuddered with laughter.

 _:How in the fuck is he pulling that off?!:_ Hermes asked.

 _:Well, we can all be quite versatile at times…:_ Isis chimed in.

 _:So…:_ Osiris started. Then he shut himself up at Alex's hardened mental glare at him.

 _:Olympus, can you escort them away?:_ Hypnos asked with a small grin.

 _:MY EMPEROR HAS GIVEN ME AN ORDER. TO NOT INTERVENE. AND I AM TO TELL YOU ALL THIS, SINCE IT HAS BEEN ASKED TO MOVE THEM. SHUT THE FUCK UP AND ENJOY THE SHOW.:_ The ship chuckled. Now there were gasps of disbelief, intense laughter and complete mayhem all throughout the link. It was even funnier to hear the giant ship swear. It would never outright do that unless Alex told it to. It was only following orders.

"Is he really fucking her in public?!" Robert gaped at what Thanatos was dying with laughter about from where they sat in a room on Olympus. "Holy shit…"

"Apparently, she started it!" Thanatos said and started wiping tears away from his eyes. "She decided to not wear any underwear."

"Oh, hell…" Robert sighed and shook his head. "Anyways…where were we?"

"Yeah…" Thanatos grinned ruefully and pointed at the small holographic map. Drones were effectively keeping the crowd away from the powerful couple on the dance floor, and eventually the drone escort was able to filter around them to carefully move them to a more secluded area.

John could only roll his eyes from where he was and found himself looking away. It looked like innocent dancing, but even he knew otherwise from the tight drone formation. At the sight of Garrus walking over, a wave was given. They moved to sit at a table to relax a bit.

"Yes. They're ah…yeah…" the turian cleared his throat and offered Shepard a drink.

"Thanks. And, no, I don't want a cigarette," he said and opened the bottle to drink it.

"I'm sure a few others wouldn't mind one," Garrus laughed. Then he nodded to Zaeed when the mercenary walked over to sit with them. "Before you say hello to me, you owe me fifty credits."

"Damn! I was hoping you'd forget," Zaeed scowled.

"I had to repurchase several tools that you lost," the turian smirked.

"I didn't lose 'em!"

"True. You dropped them in places that I couldn't find them."

"Then just go get them."

"Ah, does my body look like I'm good at climbing?"

"Could have fooled me."

"Both of you! Quit it!" John growled. "Zaeed, just pay him."

"Why do that?" Zaeed frowned. "I didn't lose the tools."

"Mother did get them back for you," Khonsu said, as he sat down with them. "Hello! My name's Khonsu, and I'm his son. Nice to meet you!"

"Khonsu, what did we discuss?" Garrus warned.

"That I'm an asshole, and that I know it?" his son grinned.

"The fuck is this freak?" Zaeed asked and pointed at the half-turian.

"I'm half virus. You could say that I look like a human-turian hybrid. Nothing wrong with that, right?" Khonsu seemed to shrug. "I have other brothers and sisters that look like me."

"Khonsu, go wander off and fuck your sister," Garrus muttered to him.

"Why, Dad! I didn't know you approved of incest!" Khonsu said with a wide grin.

"Khonsu," Garrus warned with a wary edge in his tone. "Go do something productive."

"Wouldn't you mean, eh…reproductive?" his son grinned. Now Zaeed realized something that the strange creature said. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Wait. So…you got the tools back? Bloody 'ell, if you got them back, then I don't owe you shit!" Zaeed grinned ruefully. Now Garrus turned to glare at his son.

"Ooh. Yeah. My bad…" Khonsu sighed. John cracked a grin and hid his face.

"Fine. Keep your money," Garrus muttered. Then he noticed that Zaeed was staring a bit slack-jawed at the pale, semi-dressed, voluptuous figure that appeared behind Garrus.

"Don't worry. I'll give you more than just fifty credits," Agatha crooned, as she leaned down to casually whisper in the turian's ear. "Just wait a bit for the drones to be birthed."

"I can do that," Garrus nodded calmly.

"Good. I'll see you in a few hours," she smiled and squeezed his shoulder before rising up to let Alex lead her away. Garrus nodded again and glanced over at his friend. Zaeed was completely speechless at Garrus's smug smile. Now it was John's turn to finally start laughing.

* * *

 ***Author's Note***

 **Sorry for the late update! Work has been giving me some odd hours, moving me around and taking up most of my time. I'm going to try and update a bit more here and there, but I'm doing what I can. Thanks for continuing to read and review!**


	31. Chapter 31

Mordin was busy going over his cultures on the Normandy when he paused at the sound of the Medical Bay door sliding open. Alya had walked in wearing a gown-like dress that seemed to be crossed with a robe. It looked rather flattering on her. He nodded to her lightly. She watched him from the opposite side of the table with a pleasant smile. He had to force himself to remain collected.

"Hello, Alya. Have you come to learn?" he asked calmly. She saw him tense at first before going back into his scientist role. She almost giggled, but she caught herself.

"Possibly," she seemed to shrug. Even the sound of her voice was developing differently. It actually seemed to soothe him a touch from how the vibrations seemed to dip around him.

"That's…good," he nodded and cleared his throat.

"I actually wanted to ask you a question," she smiled.

"Yes? What would that be?"

"I want to know…do you like me?"

"Ah…"

"I know. You don't have to answer right away. I can understand that such things do take time to really voice out. I mean…you know I like you. Right?"

"You…find me acceptable…?"

"Highly."

"I see…"

"Listen," she sighed and regarded him. "In less than two days, I'm going to be considered a full adult. After that…I don't know what will happen. I don't know if I'll fall in love with another. I don't know if I'll lose my fondness for you. I honestly have no idea what will transpire."

"Well," he thought it over carefully. "in two days, I shall ensure to have an appointment set up to speak with you. We can discuss certain matters at length."

"And your culture dishes?"

"I will train you, as we converse."

"So, you're saying that you will deliberately make time for me to, not only teach me, but to get to know me, too?"

"Correct."

"Will I be just another subject for you to study?"

"No, no, no! I merely wish to test your knowledge as to what I have taught you so far!"

"Mordin, I'm teasing you," she giggled softly. Now he found himself pausing. He ran a hand over his face and laughed softly with a shake of his head. "I know that you're likely not good at showing such things off. Like…if you like me or not. I can get that. I accept that. It's who you are."

"If you understand, then we have a level ground."

"That we do."

"When it comes to affections and finding a mate, I usually tell many that I am not acceptable."

"Others did want you?"

"Here and there from various missions and scientific exploits."

"Any of them you desired?"

"An asari did make herself quite, ah, clear that she had various intentions. I had declined her gently. It would not have been right."

"And…me…?" she asked softly.

"Alya, why do you think I am allowing myself to make time for you?" he asked with a small smile. "In two days, we shall speak at length."

"And…if the talk becomes something else?" she asked with a hint of her own smile.

"I will not know until two days have passed. That is when we will both know," he said calmly.

"Then…why do you wait?" she asked. He looked at her with surprise when she suddenly moved to approach him from his side of the table. She lightly pressed herself against him.

"Alya…" he said with a small cringe.

"Why can't we pretend that two days have already passed?" she murmured against him.

"Because…even you admitted that you are not yet ready," he forced out.

"Then can you help convince me of that in full?" she asked in a breathy whisper.

"I…" he started. He almost gave in. He almost let himself get pulled over the edge. But, an incredibly deep tone saved him.

"Mordin! I was hoping to talk to you," Hypnos said and paused. "Ah…should I come back later? I can, if you are busy…"

"No!" Mordin said and was able to firmly, yet gently, move Alya away with control. "No. You are fine. Impeccable timing! You have my thanks and gratitude."

"I see…" Hypnos said with a light smile.

"Alya, I will speak with you in two days. Please do something to amuse yourself until that time," Mordin said cordially. Alya only seemed to sigh, but she realized that Mordin didn't really release her arms yet from how he moved her away. He was showing that he did want her. _He was playing it safe._

"Two days," she said softly.

"Confirmed," he nodded and released her. Alya nodded and looked over to see Dionysus.

"Alya! Glad I found you. Ah, I want to test a theory," the breeder male said.

"What theory?" she smiled.

"There's a game out there, and they say that no one can beat it within two days. Want to help? It may go faster," he grinned wryly. She stifled a giggle and walked away with him.

"You can thank me later," Hypnos said with a knowing smile.

"I almost…" Mordin said and finally trembled with a shake of his head.

"I know. It's why I showed up," the King said with a nod. "Are you all right?"

"I will be. I need to…recollect myself."

"I will watch over the cultures. You should go and rest."

"Ah…"

"Rest for two days. Keep yourself hidden. Trust me. Your cultures will develop fine," Hypnos vowed. The salarian seemed to nod in thanks before walking off briskly.

 _:That was close.:_ Hermes frowned in the link.

 _:I know it was. Alya can be very persistent.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:She got that from me.:_ Agatha beamed.

 _:Bitch!:_ Alex snorted at her to get them all laughing.

 _:I still can't believe you both fucked around in public. Literally.:_ Osiris sighed.

 _:Why? Are you jealous?:_ Alex smirked.

 _:You know I am!:_ The breeder scowled. As they continued to banter in the link, Agatha was coming to in her luxurious bed. Alex was reclining next to her and going over a data pad of new missions. Some of them he was lightly adjusting the pay to. When he came across the one with the volus, he grinned and tacked on an extra two hundred credits.

"Why are you doing that?" Agatha frowned at him when she saw what he was doing.

"He pissed me off. He's an asshole. And, I'm showing that I don't give a flying fuck. He wants to complain? He can try. Then I'll tack on another five hundred credits for bad behavior," he grinned a bit more. "He's paying us to do his dirty work. I just saw that the guy he wants us to take out is krogan. Not sure why a krogan is his business partner, but that will mean a tougher kill. So…"

"Compensation. I like it," she mused and chuckled. Her belly stretched from his developing drones, and she got served up a large slice of thresher steak. Spike was happily gnawing on a smoked bit of thresher skin. They made great pet treats. After she finished off the steak, she sighed.

"Hmm?" Alex frowned.

"Thresher is nice and all, but it seems to be all I get to eat now," she frowned. Then she paused at the heaping plate of random meats from various animals ranging from elk, boar, bear, whale and other animals that she was unsure of. She was sure they were exotic. Even more amazing was that it was all served up in a large slice of Hunter heart like a small bowl.

"Now, what was that you were saying?" Alex grinned and found himself pounced on in gratitude. He did snag a couple of the tender pieces before going back over the data pad. He did have to eat now from the biotic enhancement he gave himself. Then he paused. "Interesting. Very, very interesting…"

"What is?" she asked and delicately placed a slice of elk meat in her mouth to chew.

"Shepard's new friend. Zaeed. He put in a request for us to help him. As in, he chose us by name," Alex mused. "Since he belongs to Shepard's team, our drones didn't even charge him for anything. That's fine by me. Any friend of Shepard, I'll think of as an ally. I just find it odd that he requested us to help him out. I think he either wants to test us, or he's being genuine. I know we've been helping others of Shepard's crew, but kinda funny that he put in for an appointment like this."

"Huh," she frowned. "Okay. After I give birth, we'll go help him."

"He's asking for our help now," Alex frowned. "Code next to request is A.S.A.P."

"Ah, it won't be possible," she said. "I'm nearing the fast stage of my growth."

"I'll go talk to him," he said and finally rose up from the bed to let his clothes slide back over him. She seemed to sigh, but she nodded all the same. She wouldn't be able to move soon, anyways. The sudden stretch of her belly only proved it.

"You showed up?" Zaeed asked and looked over at Alex approaching him. Olympus had transported him directly to where the old mercenary was waiting.

"Yeah. I did. Why do you want me and my mate to help you?" he frowned.

"Because I want to kill the fucker that tried to kill me! I only want the best of the best to help with this, too!" Zaeed growled. "I know where he is. If we leave now, we can tag him!"

"Oh? Hmm," Alex mused. "The only problem is that Agatha can't move. She's getting close to birthing drones. How about this. You give us one drop of your blood. We'll see your memories up to this point in time. I can have drones go and keep the fucker in one place until we are ready to snuff him out. What do you think?"

"A drop of blood? To spill a fuckin' gallon of it from the fucker that I'm after? Sure," Zaeed shrugged and let a drone collect the drop. Now with new memories being gleaned, various drones were quickly sent off to harass and apprehend the new target.

"You worked for the Shadow Broker?" Alex asked with a small grin.

"For a bit, yeah. It paid the bills," Zaeed shrugged.

"As for Vido, yeah. We'll fuck with him," Alex chuckled.

"I know I have great luck, since it kept me alive and kickin'. As for my luck with women, well…even I have to question myself a bit on that. As for that fucker…Vido fucked me over for too long!" Zaeed growled. "When can we leave?"

"We'll need to wait about four hours. Think you can?" Alex asked casually.

"Fuck that! I want to leave…" the sentence trailed off at the sight of an exquisite meal of thresher maw steaks that were slow-roasting in various alcohols for tenderizing and flavor effects. The platter was set down in front of him in front of a make-shift table. A bottle of the finest aged whiskey was now opened and set down with a small shot glass. "We'll leave after I eat. I think that sounds good."

"Take your time," Alex grinned a bit wickedly. He knew _exactly_ how to make a human change their mind. With bought time, and a new mission to look forward to, he was already ensuring that he was going to have the upper hand. He also knew that Agatha was going to want in on the mission. _That meant she had to be free of eggs._ When he got back to his room, he paused at the sight of Garrus.

"Hey. I want to join you both on this one. Zaeed's an asshole, but he's a friend. I need to join up," Garrus said calmly. Alex only nodded at this.

"Fine. Cement it with John. I have to make sure Agatha gives birth properly," he said. Garrus nodded and was quick to head out. Then Spike trotted over to nudge Alex. "Yeah, yeah. I guess you can come along, too."

It gave a happy huffing sound and seemed to pounce around him. Agatha found herself snickering at Alex's face. "Mr. Fluffster really needs a new toy."

"Maybe we can make it a toy from one of the fuckers we kill," Alex mused. Then he stretched out his palm to let a glowing blue ball form. He flung it to see if Spike would catch it. To his surprise, the Hunter did jump up to catch it. Then Alex roared with laughter when the ball exploded in the Hunter's mouth to send the poor thing flying against a back wall of Olympus.

"Zeus!" Agatha gaped with shock. Spike seemed to whimper and hunker down shaking. Then it started tapping its claws on the ground in a rapid-fire way. Olympus had its drone walk over to evaluate the Hunter with complete fascination.

"Olympus?" Alex asked with a small grin.

"My Emperor, you will not believe this, but…" the drone seemed amused. "Spike is using Morse Code…to show how distressed it is…"

"What…?!" Alex seemed to blink and twitch with shock. Now Hypnos was quick to appear to assess the Hunter with complete concern. On listening to the rapid tapping, he turned to regard Alex.

"Because of how scared you made it, it felt a need to express it. Don't use anymore biotic bombs in the future and expect it to catch them," Hypnos smiled lightly. Alex's jaw dropped. Agatha crooned to her pet and let her hair move to gently encircle the Hunter in a loving, motherly way. That soothed the Hunter down quite a bit with a heavy sigh. Alex just stared at it when it moved to carefully move into the bed to snuggle next to Agatha's protective form. Like a lazy lapdog, it rested its head on her leg.

"Why are you evolving?" Alex now asked with an untrusting edge. The Hunter huffed and sniffed around. Agatha was given a flat piece of metal for it to tap on. When it began to tap out on a claw, Alex honed in on the memories to decrypt Morse Code from military exercises.

 _-Needed. Important.-_ It responded.

"I get that. But…why?" Alex asked now. At the next set of taps, Agatha busted out laughing.

 _-Because. You are asshole.-_ It snorted after that and sighed. Its mouth still hurt.

"Ah, excuse me?!" Alex growled at it. "You didn't have to jump up and grab the ball, you know! That was your fuck up! Own up to it!"

It seemed to growl, but then it tapped again. _–I want see. How strong. Me. Can do?-_

"So…" Hypnos mused. "you want to get stronger? Oh! To be strong enough to handle my Emperor? Or something else?"

 _-Protect Mistress. Protect family. Kill enemies. Kill others. Not family? They die.-_ Spike gave a low, guttural growl. Alex now moved to pat it on the head to show it was trusted again. When Orion suddenly came in with the others, they paused at Alex's small glare to settle down.

"We know, Dad," Perseus chuckled. "We just wanted to say hello to Spike."

"Really?" Alex muttered and moved to recline back next to his mate. As usual, Spike seemed to ignore them. That was until they presented it with new forms of treats made from various animal organs. That got its attention, and it finally lumbered away from Agatha to get mildly pampered. Hypnos and Olympus's drone watched with complete fascination of this. Even the hive mind was floored. After three hours of listening to the kids finally have a rather decent, and somewhat funny, conversation with Spike, Alex finally said, "Kids. Leave the room. Mom has to give birth."

"He is right," Agatha winced when the pains started.

"And, after this, Spike will be coming with us to kill a few bad people that messed with Zaeed," Alex smirked. Spike seemed to nod in his direction.

"I may run some tests with the other Hunters," Hypnos chuckled and accepted a few hugs from Gemma and Andromeda. They were his sisters, and he adored them.

"Oh, I never mentioned this," Orion smiled. "A friend of John's is here. She, ah, wants me to talk to him for her. Someone by the name of Ashley."

"Go find him. Now," Alex ordered. Orion nodded to do just that. He knew the Mellony was safe enough in their personal room, so he made good on his father's order. He found John getting ready to leave on the Normandy. A drone had stopped him.

"John," Orion said and waved. "I know you have to go somewhere, but Dad wanted me to talk to you. I'm one of the kids that took his personal DNA."

"Oh! Nice to meet you," John smiled and shook his hand. "So, are you a year old, too?"

"Nah! I'm about thirteen years old now," Orion grinned. John blinked at him. "I was abandoned as a child. Because I can see ghosts. My parents decided to ditch me."

"What?" he frowned.

"I know. But, I don't bother with them, and I do have a little sister, apparently. She began to see ghosts, too. If they get rid of her…" he growled and shivered for control.

"I understand. I hope they don't," John sighed and shook his head.

"Yeah. Anyways, Ashley says hello," Orion smiled. John's mouth dropped. "She also said not to worry about her. That she's doing fine. She tends to hang about in the Normandy's storage area. She likes the guns there."

"Yeah. She always liked to clean them," Shepard grimaced and looked away.

"She also said…with all due respect…if you need me, just ask," Orion smiled.

"I don't think I need to kiss her ass," he said with a small grin. "Anyways, I did have a question for her. If she wanted to come back with a cloned body. Alex said it was possible."

"Ah! Hmm. Maybe you should ask her yourself," Orion shrugged. John now looked at him like the he was joking. "Come on. I'll show you how."

"Now I'm scared…" he admitted. Orion laughed softly and urged him to follow along. John sighed and found himself getting into the Normandy. They walked to where the storage area would be that held most of the guns. Then John paused. He felt a breeze.

"She's here. Ask what you want," Orion nodded.

"Ash…" John swallowed and shivered. He could actually feel her presence near him now. "I dunno how to…well…ask you this…but…"

"Let me ask," Orion smiled softly. "John would like to know if you would like a chance to come back. We have a way to do it. It's a bit risky, but it can be done. If you agree, knock over this shell to the right. If you disagree, knock it to the left."

An empty rifle shell casing was set down on a small counter. For five minutes, there was nothing that happened. Then, very slowly, it seemed to shake. Then it toppled to the right.

"She…wants to?" John asked.

"Yeah. She said, and I quote, 'He is not doing his job. I need to come back to make him do his job. Please do what you can. And, with all due respect, I expect him to respect me no matter what I look like when I do come back'. So…"

"But…she's reported as deceased!" Shepard said.

"So were you," Orion smiled. That had him nod with complete agreement at that.

"Well, I won't kiss her ass," John smirked. "But, I will still hold the same respect for her that was given to me. And I hope you heard that, Ash."

At the small poke to the back of his head, he found himself laughing. He watched Orion walk off, but he found himself staying put. He looked at the empty shell and placed it upright on the small counter. He did find it oddly cold to the touch.

"Ash…" John said lightly. "I know you're here and listening. You proved it. So…I want to ask you a question. How do you feel about these people? The virus ones? If you like them, knock this to the right. If you don't like them, knock it to the left."

As if on cue, it began to topple. But, it was gently straightened out to land in a dead center. John knew what that meant right away. "So…if they make you a body…you will like them. If they fail, you won't really care. I can understand that."

A soft pat to his shoulder was given with agreement. He swallowed and nodded. Any death of a crew member was painful. As much as he wanted Kaidan to come back to work with them, he knew that wasn't going to happen for now. _Maybe if Ash came back, he would reconsider._ It was now a thought of hope, and he left to prepare to help Zaeed with his problem.


	32. Chapter 32

Zaeed was itching to leave. They knew it was time. A map of the Fala System was displayed, and the planet, Zorya, was targeted. Alex and Agatha were already in a small ship to depart from Olympus. Her escort of elite drones was always with them. She was dressed in her camouflage top and bottoms that she wore from long ago. It showed she was in a bit of a soldier mode. Alex was, of course, completely turned on by it. He had to refrain from touching her for now.

 _:Ready for some fun?:_ Agatha chuckled to her mate.

 _:Bring it.:_ He grinned back at her. She laughed softly and let him kiss her passionately. He was excited at the thought of finally sinking his claws into something. He thought to the hive now. _:What do we know about this piece of shit?:_

 _:He's getting ready to leave. We have drones deterring him with false repairs.:_ Hypnos said calmly. Lelantos was quick to chime in.

 _:We have the fucker in our sights. Can I kill him now? It would be so easy!:_ He itched.

 _:No. Zaeed wants the kill. We will give him the kill. Just keep that asshole busy.:_ Alex grunted out. _:What does the planet look like?:_

 _:Lots of jungle locations. Some of it quite deadly from the fungal spores. Hypnos, you should see about collecting some for some intricate grenades.:_ Eros chuckled.

 _:I think you're right…:_ Hypnos mused. _:Hariti can help Ragland make a special area to grow them, too. Let's see if we can collect some spore samples.:_

 _:Good. Do it.:_ Alex nodded mentally.

 _:We should make a poison factory here.:_ Thanatos snickered. _:We can live where the humans can't. And we can make the air even more hostile to them.:_

 _:I like that, too. Do it.:_ Alex smirked.

 _:We should send in a few drones first to ensure we are not affected.:_ Agatha pushed into the link.

 _:We are immune, Mother.:_ Hypnos chuckled at her. That had her pleased. Spike snorted and yawned from where it sat near her. A loving tendril of hair moved to gently caress its back.

"Are you ready to kill some humans?" Agatha purred out. It gave out huffing signs of eagerness. If it had a tail, it would be wagging it.

"My Liege, this one is being found in a bit of a mining facility. There are workers there that know nothing. With the way Zaeed is, should we see about trying to carefully get them out of there?" Nick asked at a report sent to it. Agatha showed instant concern, and Alex rolled his eyes.

"Fuck it. Fine. Get them out of there. The less distractions for us, the better it will be to find Zaeed's target and kill him. What else do we know?" he asked.

"It was just revealed to Shepard that we are hunting down his ex-partner, Vido Santiago, as we know. They made the Blue Suns together. He thinks he's safe in his base right now. The planet, itself, is filled with vorcha. They seem to be able to live where others can't. In many ways, they could find us out," it said.

"If they find us, we kill them," he shrugged. Nick smirked and nodded. "What else?"

"There are a few farming colonies, but the planet has a lot of resources that aren't found yet."

"Hmm. Can we get a ship to eat into it?" he asked.

"I don't know if I'd want to hollow it out," Agatha frowned.

"We'll just barely get under the skin of the planet. Kinda like the scabies pest," he grinned wickedly. At her next look of disgust, he howled with laughter.

"You are just…oh! Fucking bastard! We are not going to be seen as a parasite for humans!" she growled and smacked his arm rather hard. He was now in tears of laughter at the thought. The thought was sent into the link. The response was intense from all the laughter. Alex gave her another grin after he recovered and gestured for Nick to continue the reports.

"Garrus was thinking of joining us," Nick said from a direct thought to it.

"No. Not needed," Alex grunted. "We need to keep him safe for now. He can help Robert figure out what to do about the thresher maw farming. As in, we need defenses to keep others from interfering with us. He can do that."

"One his kids is already on it," Nick chuckled. "Ah. We can leave now. Shepard's drop ship just left the Normandy with Zaeed. Jack agreed to go with them."

"All right. Let's go," Alex nodded. He blinked at a plate of heavy steak handed to him by Kim. "What's this for? I'm not hungry."

"Your eyes are starting to glow, My Liege," the drone said. There were plenty of emergency food stores around for his new need. He sighed and glanced over at Agatha's smirk. "Shut up. Bitch."

"Who was the one that took in a shot of something that should have been tested?" she asked mildly. He flipped her off to see her grin a bit wickedly. Then he glared at her when she pulled his fork out of his hand to take the first bite of the steak. At his narrowed eyes, she said, "Not so fun when it's on you, eh? Thought so."

"Fucking. Whore. That's what you are," he growled and snatched the fork back.

"Shut the fuck up and eat," she snorted at him. He shook his head at her and made plans to get even with her later. After the steak was demolished, he sat back in the chair and looked out the filmy, mucus-like windows of the small ship. The planet was quick to come into view, and he was a bit surprised at all the growth he saw from the surface.

 _:WHERE DO I LAND?:_ Olympus asked calmly, as it was driving the small ship.

 _:Away from where the fun is starting. How are the humans? Are they being evacuated?:_ Alex asked, as the planet started to loom closer.

 _:We are moving them out slowly as a false routine drill. The place will be emptied out shortly. Any mercenary that objects is being taken over.:_ Lelantos said in his report.

 _:I've got the fucker in my sights.:_ Hermanubis grinned in the link.

 _:My kill!:_ Lelantos growled.

 _:Children, remember. He belongs to Zaeed.:_ Agatha reminded them gently. Mental nods were given. Then Alex's glare forced them to obey the rules.

 _:Keep Vido from leaving. That's all you have to do.:_ Alex growled at them. _:Don't fuck this up!:_

 _:Yes, my Emperor.:_ Lelantos seemed to swallow. Alex shook his head and saw the atmosphere soon engulf the ship. Nick seemed to grimace at what it learned next.

"Vido just challenged Zaeed. Shepard, Jack and he were found out. They clearly landed before us. Not all of the humans are evacuated, either!"

"Fuck! Land faster!" Alex ordered.

"I'll go after the innocent humans," Agatha said.

"Fuck no! That's labor work. Leave it to the drones and the kids. I want you with me to go after the prize," Alex said to her. That got her smiling softly. "And, I haven't forgotten about your bitch move with my steak. You're still on my shit list for that."

"I could have given it to Spike," she shrugged. That got her laughing up a storm at the foul look he gave her after that.

"Fuck you, bitch!" he growled, grabbed her to haul over his knee and spanked her to hear her squeal. "And that's not all of it!"

She was still laughing too hard from it all to be angry at him. Spike snorted at him when it got glared at. With Agatha still recovering from her laughter, Alex said, "Keep watch over her. Don't let anything hurt her."

Spike gave a seething hiss of understanding. The moment the ship landed, the exit opened up for them to quickly hop out. There were a few dead bodies here and there, but they were already dead. Agatha was purely in awe of the place. Spike snorted and caught a scent. It hissed and launched itself into a run to chase after it. At first, Alex was going to reprimand it for leaving Agatha. Then he paused at the sound of a choked off scream from the sniper hiding in the distance suddenly getting his innards raked right out of him. That had Alex grinning a touch sadistically. The Hunter even trotted back over to drop the heart of the man at Alex's feet. It was picked up by a waiting drone to get washed off and checked over. Alex nodded slightly and watched Spike move over to Agatha.

"Do you want me to ride on you?" Agatha chuckled. It seemed to nod, and the saddle was quickly fastened on. The ground was too soft for it to tap out any Morse Code, so it was resorting to body language for now. Once she was secure, she paused when Alex moved to sit behind her.

"You're strong enough. Hypnos enhanced you a bit," Alex muttered. As a response, Spike launched itself over the grounds at break-neck speed. Nick only paused with surprise, and now it was running behind them with the other elite drones to catch up. When they finally got to the facility, an intense fire had broken out.

"Over here!" Shepard shouted.

"The fucker got himself caught under a pole!" Jack scowled.

"Shut the fuck up!" Zaeed winced from where he was trapped. "We can't let Vido get away!"

"There are innocent people here. I'm not going to let them die! You can help me free them. If you don't, I might end up leaving you here. Make your choice," Shepard growled out. Zaeed glared at him with his good brown eye, but Alex was quick to crash in on the scene. He jumped off Spike's back and cleared his throat.

"My kids are helping with the people inside. Let's go fuck up Vido," Alex grinned wickedly. "This way we all win, and everyone will be nice and happy. Okay?"

"You already had…never mind. Of course, you would have been here," Shepard sighed.

"Don't worry, Shepard," Agatha smiled from where she was still situated on Spike's back. "My children were already getting the civilians out. The fires are already being taken care of. Come. Let's go find our…guest. Shall we?"

"Are you wearing military gear?" Shepard asked now that he saw what she was wearing.

"Yes. This is what I was wearing while hunting down Alex's ass back on my Earth. Before everything started. So, when I have to go out on missions, I wear this again. He has such a hard-on over it," she snickered. Alex glanced over his shoulder at her smirk. He wasn't gonna deny it. He looked back over to study the pillar. He knew exactly how to free him.

"Okay, Zaeed. Don't move a fucking muscle," Alex said and revealed his claws. Zaeed closed his eyes and suddenly found himself free of the pillar. He paused in shock at how it was simply sliced into small pieces. "Which way did the fucker go?"

"Through the door. He's trying to escape!" Zaeed grunted and got helped up.

"You're sure the people will be all right?" Shepard asked.

"Look behind you," Alex said. The Commander turned and nodded at how the fire was already under control. He even heard the sounds of evacuating people in the distance.

"Thanks. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if any of them died," he said.

"I'm sure of it," Alex said with a small eye-roll. Jack seemed to sigh and give the same response that Alex did. That got them grinning slightly at each other with understanding. Shepard wasn't amused, but Agatha giggled softly.

"We have to move!" Zaeed said. "He's likely already found a way out!"

"Nah. My kids have him pinned down with a lot of distractions. We can take our time," Alex smiled slightly and led the way. Spike huffed and yawned, as it lumbered along with Agatha on its back. Nick was giving mild orders to the elite escort to keep a good look out.

At the sight of a Blue Suns mercenary suddenly falling to his death from the ceiling, Alex looked up and grinned at the sight of Lelantos waving back at him. He jumped down to meet them easily. "I see you got my message! Don't worry about that one. He tried to get more recruits to help. I, ah…showed him it wasn't necessary."

"Good. Where's the fucker?" Alex asked.

"A couple more rooms up. I'll show you," the King grinned.

"Very good, my son," Agatha nodded. Lelantos paused at what she was wearing, but Alex gave a sharp hiss to bring the King back around.

 _:Don't even think about it.:_ Alex warned dangerously. Lelantos swallowed, nodded and led the way to main area. A gunship was there on a landing pad, and three drones in the guise of Blue Suns mercenaries were making false repairs.

"I don't have all day! Fuck it! I'm just going now!" Vido snapped at them. Then he paused at the tendrils that suddenly clung to his limbs and hauled him into the air. "What the fuck?!"

"Where do you want him?" Agatha murmured while her hair kept Vido neatly restrained.

"Right in front of me," Zaeed growled.

"We'll stand back," Shepard said and pulled Jack to his side.

"What? Afraid of some blood? He's a fucking pansy," she smirked.

"Let's just say," Shepard smiled at her. "I want Zaeed to take his time. Just a bit."

"Going rogue?" she grinned wickedly.

"Not really. But, even I know when payback is due," he nodded.

"Yeah. That's fuckin' fair," she grinned with a small nod. She watched Agatha haul the struggling human right in front of Zaeed.

"Agatha. Flip him around to see his ride," Alex said. She rose a brow and looked at Zaeed.

"All right. What have you got?" Zaeed asked. Vido was now flipped around in the air and caught again to let him see the gunship. At the mental command in the link, Lelantos was quick to have his drones leave the area. Once it was clear, Alex extended his palm to let a glowing blue sphere form. He focused for it to charge up a bit more. Then he looked at the gunship and flung the sphere at it.

The explosion that happened next from the biotic force of the hit could have rivaled a contained nuclear bomb. Right after the sphere made contact, Alex focused again for a shield to appear and contain the damage. It magnified the explosion. Shepard's jaw was dropped. Jack was now wondering if she could do the same thing. Agatha was highly amused at what her mate could do now. Lelantos was already swearing with the rest of the hive mind not to ever piss him off. Zaeed now wished that Vido was in the gunship, as it exploded.

"I think I got this biotic crap down. What do you think?" Alex mused and looked at them all.

"Nice. Very nice," Zaeed grinned. Vido's heart was racing when he was looked at now.

"You want me to do the same thing to him?" Alex grinned wickedly. Lelantos coughed down a laugh with the others. Zaeed was very thoughtful of the whole thing.

"I was thinking of putting a bullet in his head, but…you know what? Fuck it. Do it," Zaeed nodded and watched Agatha hurl the human right into the air. Alex launched another sphere at him and encased him in a shield. Vido didn't have time to scream. He had no time to flail about. He was dead and incinerated by the time the shield hit the ground and broke open. After a moment of silence, Alex was quick to break it.

"Okay. I'm hungry. Let's go eat," he grinned.

"I can do that," Zaeed nodded.

"You just incinerated someone…and now you want to…?" Shepard asked.

"This is Alex. What more would you expect?" Agatha beamed at him.

"Whore. That's what you are," Alex growled at her.

"But, am I wrong?" she asked with a grin.

"Bitch!" he scowled.

"You know it," she winked and blew an air kiss to him. Lelantos chuckled and was quick to speed off to ensure the survivors were evacuated from the building.

"Oh, come on. Get a fucking room!" Zaeed groaned. "You're making me sick!"

"So, watching them get all fucking cozy makes you sick," Jack mused. "But, watching someone get impaled and gutted open from fucking top to bottom makes you feel better?"

"I can handle dismemberment. That's all in a day's work. I've got a lot of great luck, but never really had it with women. Seeing someone else smoochin' about is just…ugh. I'll leave it at that," Zaeed seemed to shrug. "Anyways, I need a shot of something strong. It's…good medication for me."

"We can get you some thresher steaks marinated in ryncol. The alcohol is cooked out, but the flavor is all there," Nick suggested. Now Zaeed looked at it like it was talking crazy.

"I tried a small piece of that. I don't think I need anymore," Shepard said with a small cough.

"Really? All right then. Where is it?" Zaeed asked.

"Not here. Back on the Normandy," Nick said.

"Good. Let's go," he said.

"We'll be there shortly," Alex said. "We, ah…want to look around on this planet."

"What? Why?" Shepard frowned.

"My children are immune to many of the poisons here. We may be able to harvest some of the toxins to use against enemies," Agatha chuckled. "We were going to scout for a location."

"Oh. In all honesty, I was hoping you'd come back with us," Shepard said.

"For what purpose?" Alex asked.

"Well…" the Commander sighed. "Miranda…hinted to me that she might need help with something. That and I'm wondering about Ashley. She wanted to come back, and I wanted to see how that worked, too. What do you think?"

"Hmm. Well, Miranda would have to come to us. As for Ashley, to help her, we would need to go back to our Earth," Alex frowned. "All of our cloning bases are there. Unless Hypnos brings them to us. Then again, I also have to wonder about that fucking group that's been on my ass ever since I was around. I need to look into that."

"What's this?" Zaeed frowned. Even Jack was curious.

"Blackwatch. They are able to see my drones when they are cloaked. They have something else, too, and I need to find out what it is. It's rough," Alex admitted.

"Well, you fucking helped me. It's my turn to return the fucking favor," Jack smirked.

"There was something that I did want to mention," Shepard frowned. "The Illusive Man seemed to…well…"

"Hmm?" Alex frowned.

"It's hard to say," Shepard said.

"Can you give us another drop of blood to see your memories?" Agatha asked.

"Yeah. Likely the best thing," he nodded and let the blood drop get taken in by Nick. Alex reviewed the flood of memories. He grew out his claws, turned and swiped at a wall of solid steel to rend it into scrap. Jack only blinked at that, and she saw the Spike seemed a touch more defense now. It sensed something was seriously wrong.

"That fucker!" Agatha seethed.

"What did I miss?" Shepard had to ask.

"He knows about us. Something about us. I hate to say this, but I'm going to need to chat with him. The moment we get on the Normandy, I have to meet him. He's too smug. That tells me right there that he knows something. I need to find out what that is," Alex said with controlled restrain.

"So do I," Agatha growled.

"No!" Alex said to her quickly. "I can't let him know about you, until I know that he knows about you. Right now, I need to see what he knows. I have to be the one to see exactly where he stands. Right now, to me, he's a lying piece of shit that isn't worth the fucking time of day! I need to figure out what's up. I'm the Emperor. I have to do this. Only when I know it's needed will I have you with me. The less he knows about you the better."

"Alex, I was your antivirus. Whatever was known about me on Earth was probably already reported. Something tells me that he already knows about me. My full history. Everything. Call it a hunch. This is one that is very adept at getting information. I wouldn't put it past him," she said softly.

"Fine. We'll meet you on the Normandy. We have go now," Alex muttered. Spike moved over to him to let him hop on behind Agatha. The elite drones were soon running after them at top speed, and Shepard looked over at Zaeed and Jack.

"If the Illusive Man did manage to find out about them in full, I honestly don't know what to think. And I have to wonder how that would be," Shepard frowned, as he thought aloud.

"This fucker knew everything about me," Jack grumbled.

"And he found me. He's as nasty as the Shadow Broker!" Zaeed muttered out with frustration. "No matter. Let's get back. Apparently, you have a meeting to set up."

"Yeah. I do. And like hell am I going to sit aside for him to have a private chat with Alex," Shepard sighed hard. The other two nodded to him and followed him out of the building. As they finally reached the drop ship to take them back, Zaeed took one last look at the building that housed his old enemy. With a small smile that it was done and over with at last, he hopped into the craft and buckled in to get launched back out into space to rejoin with the waiting ship.


	33. Chapter 33

Shepard was quick to walk into the Normandy the moment the transport ship docked on Olympus, and he headed over to the main comm room. Alex was right behind him and on his heels with Agatha on his arm. Nick was mentally warned to stay back with the rest to keep them hidden. Even Spike was ordered to stay with the drones, as much as it didn't like that, but it needed to remain hidden, too, from its intelligence. When Garrus marched over to them, he paused at the deadly glare given back.

"You said I could go with you to help Zaeed," he started.

"Yeah. I changed my mind. Get over it. I'm not in the mood," Alex growled at him.

"Garrus, can you please wait in our bedroom on Olympus? Or away from us for a bit? Alex and I need to speak with the Illusive Man about a few things. My mate is in a killing mood, and I don't want you to be a target," Agatha said gently. That got Garrus to blink, nod, and walk off to find Zaeed. Alex nodded to her and finished the trek to the comm room. When they walked in, John was already talking with the Illusive Man. He didn't even look over to see who walked in. John knew it was them.

"And what are you?" the holographic man in the luxury suit asked Alex. Alex seemed to bristle at how he wasn't referred to as a being. He was referred to as a type of thing. At the sight of Agatha, the Illusive Man's brow rose a bit. She said nothing in response, but something hit her that this man was a bit familiar to her…

"I'll be your worst fucking nightmare, if you don't explain yourself!" Alex spat out.

"Explain myself? For what?" the man smirked. John glowered, but kept his gaze on the ground.

"Do I know you?" Agatha finally asked. "You seem familiar to me."

"I don't think we've met. This is the first time I've met you," the man admitted.

"What?" Alex blinked and looked at her. On sensing her memories, he stiffened. "No. You didn't meet with him. But…another part of you did…"

"Wait, what?!" John gaped at her. "You know him?!"

"Well, I did make a courtesy call to a base long ago…" the Illusive Man muttered in thought. "I'm not sure to what base, though. All I knew was that it was to a place that was like my Earth, but not quite like my Earth. It seemed to be like a…past side of it. Very primitive in their technology. The sort of place that, if I exposed myself to the wrong people, it would have caused mass hysteria. Oh! You're from a place like that, too, right? If my information is correct, that is…"

"Fuck you!" Alex snarled out and exposed his claws.

"Tch! Come now! If you're like that, I won't be able to keep talking," the man seemed to shrug. "Anyways, yes. I was somehow invited to visit a new place. I saw some kind of a project in development. A testing tank with some form of a…I guess a blob in it. They felt I could help with advancement. I offered a bit of advice and some technology to assist with it. Just a touch, though. As to what it was about, well…something to cure a bit more than the common cold…"

"You…were responsible for Whitelight…" Alex seemed to whisper with a bit of shock.

"I wouldn't know that," the man sighed and shrugged again. Alex still caught the slight grin. He was starting to get extremely pissed off.

"Agatha, do you remember what all he did?" John had to ask.

"I do…" she seemed to cringe with hatred. Now the hive link was in an uproar. "He stole a part of me. A syringe was used."

"You remember that? Interesting…" the Illusive Man chuckled. "I still do have that part of you. I'm not using it. So, well…I could give it back…"

"When?" she asked. "Because that is stolen property of mine."

"I can understand completely," he agreed. "So, I'll make a deal with you."

"You piece of shit!" Alex seethed, but Agatha rose up her hand to hear him out.

"I need one more person found. Maybe two more. After this one is recruited, and the possible other one, I'll arrange a meeting place. I'm not sure if we can meet up until after the Collectors are destroyed, though. All for precaution. I'm sure you understand," he said with a slight smile.

"We will cooperate, but only because there is, apparently, no choice," she nodded. "This is a mutual cause, and we have a common foe."

"Excellent," he chuckled. He was already a bit impressed with her regal demeanor.

"Fuck that! We track him down!" Alex hissed.

 _:Love, think about it. If we help John first, we'll have more time to seek out my piece. Our children are still inhabiting other places and worlds. This man can't see everything all at once, you know. So, fine. We'll play his game. I don't sense anything from my missing part. The moment I do, that is when we will cut all ties. I didn't even realize what happened until I saw him.:_ Agatha soothed gently.

 _:And you have been evolving. So, he has old DNA. The only question is…what the fuck did he do to it? Thinking about that simply pisses me the fuck off!:_ Alex grunted. Their conversation was public in the link for any of them to hear. At a nudge from the first King, he gave full attention to him.

 _:I'm already looking into it.:_ Cronus said. _:You know I am, and I haven't abandoned the mission.:_

 _:Be careful, my son.:_ She warned. _:Even with one small part of me...the Illusive Man has proven to be dangerous. Do not, under_ any _circumstances, underestimate him.:_

 _:I understand, Mother.:_ He agreed.

 _:Leave a fresh part of yourself somewhere. At the main base. Just as an 'oh shit' handle. Got it?:_ Alex grounded out. The acceptance of his advice was sensed.

"Send me who to collect next," John nodded.

"Glad to make your acquaintances. I look forward to seeing you again in time," the Illusive Man nodded and disconnected from the conference. Alex was pissed off to a whole new height. He had noticed how the Illusive Man was staring at his mate through most of their meeting. If he ever saw the human face to face, he would likely get ripped apart.

"I'll keep an eye on who we need to get next. If it's the last one, then fine. We'll deal with it," John said. He shook his head at the whole thing. "I know I have to take Grunt to see Wrex. Legion also needed some assistance. I don't think that Garrus needed anything."

"He mentioned something about a crew member of his from Omega. His children had looked into that," Agatha sighed, as they all walked out of the chamber. "Garrus did want that one dead for betrayal, but they learned that it was all set up with no choice. The betrayer was having nightmares each night on what happened, and when this was reported…he had a change of heart on killing him."

"Yeah. Garrus wasn't very good with grey areas like that," Shepard nodded with understanding. "He can understand black and white perfectly fine. He knows what needs to be done. He gets it done. But with grey…"

"I'd be lost up until the point I got to fuck someone over," Alex smirked. That got John nodding with complete agreement. "Anyways, we do have a shipment of thresher meat to get to Wrex. We could do something with Grunt when we deliver that. Oh! Come back to Olympus with me. I have to show you something. Just a quick check up on something. You may find it kinda fun."

"Are they ready?!" Agatha giggled.

"Hedeyasu believes they are," Alex nodded and gestured for Spike to trot over. "You'll be getting new family. You have to teach them."

Spike seemed to whine, but it paused when Agatha's tendrils carefully caressed over its red skin. That had it sigh and nod. Nick already had Olympus prepared to receive them, as the Normandy was still docked on it.

"Where are we going?" John asked when they got transported once they stepped foot on Olympus. He was a bit relaxed at how the transporting worked now. A bit of jealousy was there at how the Normandy didn't have such an easy way to get around.

"You'll see," Alex chuckled.

 _:Mother, Alya has less than a day before she plans to approach Mordin.:_ Thanatos nudged her.

 _:Consult with Eros on how to proceed.:_ She mentally nodded. Thanatos gave a mental chuckle, and she refocused on the large, spacious lab they were transported to. Cryo tubes were fully brought up from their Earth to be installed for future cloning. To her surprise, she found George present to handle that. Menhit was there to keep an eye on him, though. Agatha even found Claudia there with her breeder male, Sobek, to help with some cultural slides. They were embraced by her, and they started to chat.

"It's good to see you, Mother," Sobek chuckled.

"This place is so different! So many new genes!" Claudia giggled.

"As long as you use them against the enemy," Alex grunted.

"Stop it," Agatha smirked at him. John could only whistle at the various genetic enhancements and experiments being done. He did pause at the sight of the piece of husk flesh that was carefully quarantined in its own tube. He cringed at it, but he knew they had to study it to get stronger. When he looked at another tube, he blinked at the nametag that it displayed.

"Ashley?!" he gaped.

"She did want to be brought back," Agatha smiled. "We found some frozen blood of hers from when she was first getting recruited to the Alliance. Our drones knew where to look."

"I see…well…" he shivered.

"The moment she is ready, we will contact you," Agatha said and let a tendril squeeze his arm like a sister. He nodded and glanced over to Alex.

"Over here," Alex gestured for John, as Agatha moved to approve something resembling an overly-large worm egg that was three feet around in diameter. It easily sat at a height of two feet tall, but it was very dark within it to show it was ready to hatch. It was injected with Hunter DNA, but Hypnos was able to use Spike as the main donor. Of course, he did ask the Hunter for permission before doing it. As much as Spike was unsure, it was further revealed that they would work with it better. Only then did Spike agree.

When it started to hatch, Agatha was able to use her tendrils to help gently pull apart the jelly-like shell before reaching in to carefully caress the new creature. It was scared, unsure and quite bewildered. After a few more tentacle caresses, it calmed down and focused on what was giving it attention. It didn't really rely on sight, as the creatures tunneled so much, but they went off of vibrations and sounds.

"There you are," she smiled at the large, four pronged mouth that seemed to open and close with a form of sheer delight at the soft touches. Parental imprinting was now done rather quickly. She recognized the same sensations that Spike gave her on sensing her, and now she was able to pick up that same joy that it had on sensing her. It wasn't Spike, but the Hunter's same DNA preferences had easily transferred over. "Yes, I'm happy to see you, too. It's okay. I'm here now."

"Is that a thresher maw?!" John gaped.

"An enhanced one," Ragland chuckled and walked over with Hedeyasu to evaluate it. Spike seemed to growl, but then it paused when hatchling seemed to make a kreeling sound at it. Now Spike took a rather vast interest, and it trotted over to carefully study what Agatha was soon holding in her arms. Spike actually sensed itself within it. A form of family connection was quickly given over now. Alex was now studying the body with complete interest with the others.

The body of the thresher hatchling was ten feet long, over three hundred pounds, covered with a multitude of tiny legs for quick movement and burrowing, and it was covered with soft thorns that secreted a slime to help it move through the dirt. The slime seemed to be a touch acidic to crumble down rocks, but, as a hatchling, Agatha wasn't hurt at all. There were longer, spiked legs near its tail end for anchoring in the sand, and to pull it back down to retreat. It had gained a reddish coloring on its carapace from the Hunter DNA, and it had definitely inherited a form of a intense intelligence.

"See, Mr. Fluffster? You have a baby sibling!" Agatha chuckled.

"I'm not sure how fast it will grow," Hedeyasu frowned. "or how large it will get."

"Well, I don't want it to go to Nepheron. It should go to Aite to be around my home. I'm sure there's plenty for it to hunt down to eat, it can guard my family, and it will learn how to know us by scent. Olympus can help us keep track of it. It could be trained by Olympus, too," she said.

"I can do that, my Empress," a lesser drone of Robin nodded to show that Olympus was in control. "I have the shared memories of how to train animals."

"Good," Alex nodded. "But, now, I have to wonder. If you made yourself a drone to talk to us, can the other ships do the same thing for quick conversations?"

"We were thinking on it, but we wanted to ensure it was safe to do so after what I had done," Olympus said with a small smile. That had Alex nodding with complete understanding.

"As long as you all know that it is only to serve and protect me, then it will be fine. Respect Nick as your elder. He is just under Alex in protecting me, along with my escort," Agatha said calmly. Her tentacled hair was now caressing both Spike and the new baby to show she could give ample attention to both. "I think I will call you Evren."

"Evren?" Alex asked with a raised brow.

"I was searching through some of the old legends and such about dragons and ancient worms," she shrugged. "Evren is a type of Turkish dragon that secretes flames from its tail. More snake-like than anything. Of course, our Evren doesn't secrete flames, but I think the name is suitable."

"Very nice! Then…what would you think about naming this little fellow?" Ragland asked and pointed to another massive, leathery-like egg that was hatching. Evren was given over to Robin to continue to get held. Agatha wanted it to be a bit of a lap pet like Spike while it was able to be one. She liked that sort of contact.

The egg was made from one of the giant flyers they encountered on a planet called Tarith. It was injected with Spike's DNA, of course, as well as a few injections near the main thyroid glands to hold a potent, replicating chemical that was found in platinum that could easily combust into a type of fire. Special stomach acids were introduced to help the creature make hydrogen when it digested its meals to fuel the chemical as a natural, flammable gas. Bat genes were introduced to help form the wings for better flight, as well as to maintain a higher altitude.

"Gemma is going to want one of these," Hedeyasu chuckled. "I promised to let her have the next one. We still need to ensure that it will work out."

"You made a dragon?!" Alex seemed to gape after reading up on the notes on what it was.

"Hypnos did," Ragland corrected.

"Mordin also had a small hand in it," the King said when he appeared to chuckle at them. "I'm not too sure about scales and such, but I think this is a good start."

"There are scaleless snakes in the world. I think this will be fine," Ragland said.

"What is the main creature base?" Alex asked.

"I'm not sure what it's called, but it was one of the low flying creatures on some swampy planets we found," Hedeyasu sighed. "I'm not sure of their names. They seemed more like insects, though. We had to make do with what we had to work with."

"The only other thing I can think of that would work is something we call a harvester. They can pick up small creatures and transfer them around. Very intelligent. Garrus would refer to them as worm-necks. And, if you found one on one of those planets, that's likely what it is. They can be a real pain in the ass, but, if they land, they can be taken out," John said.

"Not this one," Agatha grinned at him. She let her hair carefully help pull open the tough shell, and soon this new hatchling was snuggling into her tendrils with instinctive relief. It seemed to have a much shorter muzzle, but it had a set of wide compound eyes above its fang-like mandibles. Smaller eyes lined the top of its mouth, but the Hunter DNA gave it a proper lower jaw. The mouth was even filled with fangs. It seemed to resemble a winged centipede with clawed limbs. The vein-like wings were a touch more leathery in flesh from the genetic enhancement from bats, and they seemed wider, too. Its tail was much longer, and it sported a nasty, scorpion-like barb at the end that was filled with toxins. That was a last-minute suggestion by Ragland, as a way to defend itself while on the ground.

"I do need to test how potent the flame is, as well as a few other things," Hypnos said.

"That's fine. And the name of this one is Zomok. Yes, another form of ancient dragon," she chuckled. "How many more of these do you plan to create?"

"A few more, actually. However, I need these two to grow first. As the new prototypes, I must ensure they evolve properly," Hypnos said and accepted a small nuzzle from Zomok.

"Ah. You are here," Mordin said when he arrived now. He paused with awe at the new creatures. "Amazing! Cellular study?"

"In time, my friend," Hypnos nodded. "What brings you here?"

"You are going to Tuchanka, correct?" he asked.

"We plan to. Wrex needs to meet with Grunt," John said.

"Excellent! I wish to assist. I have my own small request," Mordin said and cleared his throat. "Apprentice is missing. Likely dead. Likely not dead. Improbable cause. Possible rescue required. You can assist me?"

"Sure!" Agatha chuckled.

"Excellent! I shall be in the Medical Bay, should you need me," he nodded.

"Oh, Mordin," Agatha said with a smile and walked over to him. "I need to inform you of something. It's important."

"Attention granted!" he said.

"I know that my daughter, Alya, has been…very forward with you. And, I know you are doing what you can to cope with it. Ah! Wait. Before you interrupt me. Let me explain something. If you do admire her as much as she admires you, you will need a shot of my blood. It makes you compatible to be with her. Also, there is a big chance that you may never see your family again," she explained carefully.

"Family is fine. I contact through messages. But…your blood?! Hmm. Thank you for explanation. I have much to research. Mental awareness. As we find my apprentice, I shall be in thought," he nodded and walked off.

"Okay. So, two missions. Help Grunt. Help Mordin. We might be able to help Grunt first, since I do have to see Wrex. I don't think that any others could side-line with us. Other than your kids, of course," John sighed.

"Lelantos and Thanatos would bitch your ears off, if we said they couldn't come. I did have an idea to help out the krogans with certain arguments, though," Alex mused.

"Oh?" Agatha grinned.

"Let's gift wrap a Hunter and express send it there. If Wrex wants a bigger challenge than just a thresher maw, we can see if his boys can take out we like to kill for fun," Alex snickered.

"I'm not going to be a part of it," John muttered.

"Nah! You'll be eating popcorn and watching in the side-lines," he grinned wickedly.

"After the missions are done, we'll do that. Maybe we can have Harkin be the one to lure it out to them…" John mused. That got Alex laughing and nodding.

"I'll be back soon," Agatha crooned to the new pets and let her hair caress them. They both seemed to complain about it. As infantile creatures, it seemed to be only natural. "I don't think it's possible to build a giant sandbox for Evren. It would be the same for Zomok to fly around properly."

"My Empress, I have just created a large chamber for them to help Hypnos study them accurately. Resources are being gathered from Tachunka's deserts as a form of soil. King Eros is able to send what he can from his home on Bekenstein to assist. As these two are to be your personal pets, we shall see how long they can survive on me. When they get successfully larger, they shall be taken down to Aite," Olympus stated calmly. Then it noticed Agatha's frown. "You are unsure?"

"I don't know how they would be able to be transferred, should they get too big," Agatha admitted. "As much as I want them to be with me, we may need to make several more pets to place on various planets of interest."

"Let's see how big these two get first," Ragland advised. "We can make the call then."

"We can do that," Alex nodded. When she turned to leave, Evren gave out a hiss of despair. Spike tilted its head at it and began to click its claws on the tiles.

 _-Want come. We let?-_ Spike snorted.

"Oh, come the fuck on!" Alex groaned. Zomok now moved its spindly legs to stand up tall at five feet in height to move to Agatha's side.

"How about this," Agatha said with a small giggle at the playful nudge Zomok gave her. Evren even skittered its multi-legged body over to her with comfort. Even though they had just hatched, they were ready to move around instinctively. "I need to eat something. Let's all have some lunch, and we'll figure out what you need to eat, as well as how much. Then we'll see if we can all go. However, you two young ones are very new. You may be seen as something new to kill. If you come with us, you _must_ remain close to me at all times. Okay?"

 _-They like.-_ Spike nodded at what it sensed from them.

"And how do you know what they want?" Hypnos asked.

 _-They are me. Like me. Want Mistress safe. Always safe.-_ It responded.

"They were made with your DNA," Hypnos agreed. "What do you think, my Emperor?"

"Fine. As long as they stick to us. May make things a bit easier…" Alex seemed to muse.

"I will join you. I need to see how they maneuver around without harming themselves. It will help with other possible enhancements. Ah! Eir will also join us," Hypnos smiled lightly.

"Let's go eat!" Agatha giggled. John found himself pausing at the hatchling thresher maw moving up to him to nudge into him happily. He realized he was grinning at it, and he even gave it a little pat on its head. Now he knew he was quite pleased to be a part of the viral group. _Whoever tried to fuck with them was in for a nice, and nasty, surprise._ And, he was quite sure that the Illusive Man had no clue about these new pets, either. That made him feel much better.

* * *

 ***Author's Note***

 **Okay. Extremely late update. Horribly late update. Yes, mostly work related. On another note, I have been revamping my stories to remove spelling errors and fixing them up to be more stream-lined. Thus, in effect, this story was the first to be vamped up! Woot! Took a bit of hard work, but it's here! Just re-read the story if you'd like to see the changes. Not many, but tried to clean it up a bit. On another note, thanks for the reviews! If you want me to respond to them, please review in a registered account. Otherwise, I'll be working on my fictions as much as I can. :) Thank you for the support once again!**


	34. Chapter 34

One of the drop ships from Olympus was purposely made larger to accommodate the two newest pets of the hive mind. Evren was quick to take to the sandy soil naturally to travel below them. It was also able to make a nice meal out of any burrowing scavengers, too. Zomok simply moved with them calmly on its spindly legs. Hypnos had to wait on Olympus with Eir, but he had a drone of his moving with them to study how the prototype creatures would function.

Agatha was riding Spike, as usual, in her jeweled Grecian finery. Alex was calmly walking up to the main clan structure with Nick and the other elite drones. On glancing over to see John, Grunt and Mordin, they all nodded to each other.

"Where are we going?" Grunt snorted.

"We need to talk to Wrex for you. Then we'll see what we can do for Mordin and his apprentice," John said with a nod to him.

"Affirmative! Let us make haste?" Mordin asked.

"All in due time," Agatha chuckled.

"Also, ah, still deep in thought," he sighed.

"Take your time. Or don't. You know that Alya will be knocking on your door after all of this is done," Alex grinned lightly. That got Mordin to clear his throat at the thought.

"You should just take some of our Empress's blood now," Nick chuckled.

"I said more thought is needed!" Mordin retorted quickly. Zomok chittered and reared up a bit with a threat display at the sight of two krogan guards approaching them. They clearly glared at Mordin, but they would only attack if they were attacked first.

"Halt!" a krogan with darker mottling growled at them.

"I'm here to see Wrex," John said. "He is the Chieftain of Clan Urdnot. I have business with him. Please let me see him."

"Also, we are the ones supplying you with thresher meat," Alex grinned a bit smugly.

"Is that so?" the other guard with lighter mottling growled. They both blinked when two plates of marinated thresher and ryncol were put in front of their muzzles. They were soaked in the ryncol after being cooked in it to daze out any that ate it. Now that the two guards were mildly lost in their own haze of delusional happiness, the group moved forward.

"I want some of that to use as bait," John muttered.

"We can arrange something," Alex grinned a bit wickedly.

"If I can stun them enough to keep them quiet, it would be much easier than killing them," he muttered lightly to keep Grunt from hearing him.

"That's not a bad idea," Alex chuckled. When they got to the main chamber, which was a massive pile of debris and wreckage, Wrex was in the middle of an argument with another leader. Grunt looked around and was clearly not impressed at the sight. At the sight of them, though, Wrex shoved the others aside to get to them. John shook his hand, and Agatha gave a nod of respect. After formalities were made to show they were allies, Wrex sat back down in his concrete throne.

"Wrex, I want you to look at Grunt for me. He's a krogan on my crew…" John started.

"Is that so?" Wrex muttered and got up again from the crumbling chair he was in. Now he moved to charge over to Grunt, but he paused in deep thought. "Hmm. Where are you from, whelp? Where is your clan? I don't recognize you."

"I was tank bred by Warlord Okeer," Grunt growled out. "I am from the bloodlines from Kredak, Moro, Shiagur-"

"A krogan bred by a syringe?" the other krogan leader growled out. Then he got head-butted by Wrex to keep him quiet.

"Speak when spoken to, Uvenk!" Wrex snapped at him. "Anyways, Okeer is a much hated name around here."

"I am pure krogan. You should be in awe. Anyways, Okeer is dead now," Grunt said.

"Of course, he is. Why else would you be with Shepard?" Wrex snorted confidently.

"Anyways," Shepard said. "I think Grunt is sick."

"He's not sick. He's growing up," Wrex mused.

"Ah! Youthful tendencies?" Mordin asked. "Hormone surges. Mating ritual needed?"

"No. He needs a clan to show his honor in battle. A place to fight when he wants to. A clan to fight for with glory. You can stand with Clan Urdnot," Wrex nodded. Alex and Agatha simply remained silent through the whole thing, and her tentacle hair was gently caressing both Spike and Zomok to keep them calm.

"Well…that's up to you," Shepard said to Grunt. The young krogan seemed to turn away to think about everything calmly.

"I'll do it!" Grunt nodded.

"Good boy. We'll set you up with the Rite of Passage," Wrex nodded.

"I will not fight with a krogan made from a syringe!" Uvenk snarled out and began to leave. Then he paused at the sight of Zomok leering at him with a nasty hiss.

"Easy," Agatha chuckled. Spike snorted and growled dangerously when the other krogan finally made his way past them.

"Want us to kill him?" Alex asked Wrex. That got Wrex laughing a bit and shaking his head.

"No. Gatatog Uvenk is…set in his ways. I'll handle him later," the older krogan grinned. "Grunt, go to the second level. Talk to the shaman there. He will set you on the path. And, Shepard, I want you to do this, too. As for you, Alex…I don't know. You already kill threshers for the hell of it. I may have to have you sit back and watch the show."

"What? Are you shitting me?!" Alex seemed to pout. That got Wrex laughing at him. "I have yet to kill my own thresher. The kids have been having all the fun!"

"I watched you tear down solid steel like gutting open a naked salarian. It would be no match. I already know," Wrex smirked. Then he looked over at Mordin. "Sorry for the example."

"Apology accepted…" Mordin mumbled.

"So, what would you like us to do, if we can't help Grunt?" Agatha frowned.

"First, I want you to tell me about this thing," Wrex pointed at Zomok.

"Ah. Then you'll want to know about Evren, too, but that one is busy playing in the sands outside. We…converted a thresher maw to work with us," Agatha chuckled. Now Wrex looked at her like she was joking. "And, no, you can't eat it. It is my personal pet now."

"I need to see this!" Wrex chuckled. "Go on, Shepard. Talk to the shaman."

Shepard nodded and moved with Mordin and Grunt to the second level. As they introduced themselves, and embarrassed Uvenk with a well-timed head-butt from Shepard, Wrex was taken outside to properly meet with Evren. At the sight of the hybrid thresher leaping out of the ground to enjoy getting cuddled by Agatha, he was quite amused and surprised.

"Easy now," Agatha crooned to it softly. It chirred and tilted its head at Wrex oddly. "He is an ally. You need to protect him, if you are here. Okay?"

"I thought they were larger?" Wrex grunted.

"It's a hatchling," Alex said and accepted a small nudge from it. "I'm sure it will get much larger. If not, well, Agatha will be happy. She likes the lap pets."

"You hold this in your lap?" Wrex asked before laughing with disbelief. She was about to say something more, but they all paused at the sound of a bell in the distance. "Ah. The trials have started."

"Should we watch?" Alex grinned.

"You can. Just…try to stay out of the way," Wrex smirked. "I need to head back inside. As you are the leader of your people, I'm the leader of mine."

"Of course," Alex nodded. "Love, do you think you can cloak us?"

"I can do that," she grinned a bit wickedly and let her hair move to cover over him. Her elite escort was next with Spike. Evren was quick to burrow back into the sand. Zomok was able to fly off to hide elsewhere. Spike would give them sensations on where to go and what to do. Wrex was just musing at everything silently, as he turned to head back inside.

"Oh, Wrex," Alex said calmly. "We kinda…zonked out a couple of your guards with over-concentrated thresher and ryncol portions. It works very well. They're still out of it. So, if you need a quick way to easily take over a clan with no bloodshed…"

"Send me a batch. I'll portion it out to a few places that need it," Wrex grinned with a toothy, wicked grin. Alex barked out laughter as his confirmation. Now that Wrex returned his attention to the grumbling guards in his main chamber, Agatha was quick to let her tentacled hair pull them into position above the trial floors. They watched the dog-like verran pour out from where they were hiding to get shot down, and Alex had to muse at how they would make neat hybrid pets.

"They look large enough to ride, too, don't they?" Alex muttered.

"New ideas?" Agatha giggled and got squeezed.

"Perhaps," he grinned slightly. "I wonder if the cheetah cub Keid got you can have Spike's DNA, too. I'll have to ask Hypnos."

 _:My son.:_ Agatha asked Hypnos. _:Can we get that cute cheetah cub some of Mr. Fluffster's DNA? It may prove worthwhile.:_

 _:I believe we can! I'll do a little experimentation carefully.:_ Hypnos chuckled. Now Alex and Agatha watched the harvesters come out of hiding to release crab-like parasites to attack the group. Mordin seemed to be having it a bit rough, but Shepard and Grunt were easily helping him carry on through the fight.

"Maybe Garrus was the better pick for a fight like this," Alex mumbled. "But, we do have to help Mordin after this. He'll be fine, though. You think?"

"I think he'll be well enough," she chuckled. She suddenly turned at the sound of Zomok giving out a hissing screech, but she calmed herself when the enemy harvester that tried to attack it fell dead from the sky. The gaping hole in its side from the scorpion venom that struck it was the clear cause of death. She gave a small sigh of relief at that.

"Strong poison. Good," Alex smirked and finally saw the thresher maw appear. Agatha wasn't impressed by it. It didn't even detect them when it attacked the small group below them. They did kill it easily enough, but it was what happened next that had their complete interest. "That's Uvenk…"

"It is. Odd that he's approaching now," Agatha murmured.

"He is demanding for Grunt to join his clan instead. As a power play," Alex growled with disgust. "I'm gonna kill him now."

"Nah. Grunt seems to be doing well enough," Nick chuckled. At the sight of two other guards coming out of hiding, Alex tensed.

"Fuck it," Alex growled and jumped down to help. Agatha sighed and lowered herself down with her drone entourage.

"Couldn't stand down, eh?" Grunt grinned at him.

"And let you have all the fun? Nope!" Alex grinned back, and they both charged at the guards there. When a guard targeted Agatha, he soon found himself fighting with Spike. The Hunter gave out a blood-thirsty roar and launched itself at him. Uvenk's jaw simply dropped at the sight of Agatha's hair becoming lethal tendrils of death when he aimed at her. But, she didn't attack him. Instead, she attacked the weakened structure around him. Now he had to dodge bullets and falling debris.

"They say that krogans have redundant nervous systems. Shall we test that?" she smiled with a slight grin. John managed to find cover when the ground began to shake again.

"Another one?!" Grunt snarled.

"Ah. The docile one, yes?" Mordin chuckled.

"What?" Grunt asked.

"We have a pet thresher. And, I think it's hungry," Alex grinned when it simply chewed its way through the bottom of the structure with a set of jaws that rivaled the claws that Alex held. Uvenk had no chance once those jaws latched onto his legs with a vengeance. Then he was simply dragged back down into the sand below the structure to get devoured.

"Gatatog Uvenk! No!" a guard shouted and charged at them. Then Zomok landed and blasted the last krogan guard with a nasty display of fire right in his face to blind him. Grunt shot him dead soon after. The fierce fight was over as quickly as it started.

"Nothing like making an unworthy krogan a lump of meat!" Grunt snickered.

"Agreed," Alex chuckled. John just shook his head at the carnage and followed them back to where the shaman was waiting for them. He saw what happened, and he was quite impressed with the viral hive. He also saw that a traitor was removed properly. He was now vastly curious of what else could be offered to strengthen the Urdnot clan. He recruited Grunt into the clan right after that. John only chuckled when Grunt stated that he wanted to follow Shepard as his battlemaster to train under. Also, because he killed a thresher maw, he was now as respected as Wrex was.

"Is it time?" Mordin asked now.

"Yes. Let's see what we need to do," Agatha nodded to him. They went to see Wrex first, and the old krogan was thoughtful of the whole thing.

"Go find my chief scout. He'll help you get on the right trail," Wrex nodded. "Also, Alex, I need to you to do something for me."

"Sure," Alex nodded. Several guards hefted a massive lump of metal onto the ground for him.

"This is a metallic asteroid piece. They don't believe how strong you are," Wrex grinned. Then he laughed hard when Alex simply sliced it into pieces with his claws.

"Who else needs a good convincing?" Alex grinned a touch sadistically. The other krogans muttered to each other and seemed to wince. When they looked at Agatha, she gave a small smile and let her hair become tendrils again. Then they snapped over to where the grain was held to suddenly let the sound of squeaking get heard with small neck snaps. Fifty of the small vermin were now heaped into a pile on the ground.

"Food issues? Maybe I solved them for a while," she chuckled with a small shrug. Alex did snatch up a small corpse to give to Hypnos. He was now thinking of small spies to help tunnel around through the ground and walls.

"That's the most we've seen killed in…well…" a guard said with a bit of surprise.

"Of course, I'm used to killing much larger things," she said with another small shrug. "Anyways, Mordin, shall we find your apprentice?"

"Yes," Mordin nodded.

"I still don't believe that she's as strong as she says she is," a guard grunted out. Then he found himself yelping when she lifted him with her hair and slammed him into a wall.

"Wrex, I'm sorry, but, until he apologizes to me for his crude behavior, I may have to kill him to set an example," she growled with a twitch of her lip.

"She is the _Empress_ for a reason, Dickweed!" Alex snarled out him with his claws out.

"As a favor for me, will you put him down?" Wrex asked calmly. She looked at him and nodded. She simply dropped him, though. When they that saw she slammed him with enough force to crack the stone wall, there were no other questions needed about her strength.

"We'll call on you at some point to cash in that favor. Not now, though," Alex nodded.

"That's fine. I'll keep an eye on him for a while," Wrex snorted and glared at the battered up guard. "Go find my chief scout."

"We'll do that," John nodded. Grunt was simply amused at the shows of strength he witnessed. As they passed by the main weaponry, a large verran that was striped purple, and appeared very friendly, was standing nearby. Agatha mused that the beast looked hungry, and one of her tentacled locks of hair was quick to snatch up one of the little corpses to give to it. The meat was quickly eaten, and it jumped around with delight.

"Looks like Urz likes you! He'll follow you around for a bit," the krogan chuckled.

"How cute!" she beamed. Spike seemed to whine, but it got a good caress from a tentacle to calm it. The drone from Hypnos was already sending out various bits and pieces of information to its King to help with further research.

When they got to the chief scout, John was the one that took over the conversation. After some lengthy talk, they were allowed to use one of the vehicles to reach the Blood Clan that housed Mordin's apprentice. They also learned that one of the scouts went missing, so they'd be on the lookout for him. Zomok latched itself to the back of the car. The others were able to pile in. Evren was able to dig alongside them with no problems. On getting out on reaching their destination and making their way in, Alex paused at the sight of Lelantos and Thanatos.

"Okay, what are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum doing here?" Alex growled out.

"My Emperor?!" Lelantos blinked.

"I'm not Tweedle Dum," Thanatos seemed to pout.

"My children, what brings you to us?" Agatha asked.

"We got bored…" Thanatos admitted.

"And, what of Hermanubis? Or even your Queens?" she frowned.

"Hermanubis is helping out by transferring Hunters to a new planet to see if they'll farm out properly with Sigyn. Tethys is on Pandemonium," Thanatos said.

"Gaea is on Skidbladnir," Lelantos said.

"Fine. How many drones did you bring?" Alex asked.

"Only a hundred…" Thanatos seemed to shrug. John ran a hand over his face.

"And they brought me," Alya smiled when she walked over. Mordin cleared his throat at how her body seemed to have finally filled out in the skin-tight, light pink jumpsuit.

"She insisted," Thanatos sighed.

"You are staying at my side," Agatha said with a regal nod. "In fact, I want you on Zomok's back. And do not argue."

"I know, Mother," she agreed. She hopped up on the hybrid's back easily, and it gave her a small nuzzle of trust. She giggled and let it carry her.

"Keep her back? Safety reasons. No other concern," Mordin said.

"We know," Agatha winked. She was seated on Spike for the same reason, but that was mainly for show. As they moved forward, they came upon a human corpse. Mordin quickly moved over to evaluate it. It gave him something else to focus on other than Alya's fully developed chest. After some medical discussion with Shepard, it was clear that the human was experimented on for research.

"Looks we need to shut this place down even more, if they were experimenting on humans," John growled out. "Let's keep moving."

"Agreed," Mordin nodded. When they got to another chamber, they paused at the sight of a krogan with two guards there.

"All bow to Clan Weyrloc!" he shouted.

"Ugh. Really?" Alex rolled his eyes.

"There has to be a way to talk him out of this…" John said. Then he paused at how the krogan kept spewing out various insults and other dead-end praises. "Then again, you know what? I already know what this outcome is going to be. He's all yours."

"Thanks for speeding this up," Alex nodded. Then he gave the mental command to the drones to uncloak and reveal themselves around the krogan speaker. That made him pause.

"One choice. Mandatory. Shut the fuck up, and let us continue," Alex said.

"So much for negotiating?" Agatha chuckled.

"Bitch!" he scowled at her.

"We do not bow down! We will let you watch, as we tear into your children to feast on their-!" the speaker was cut down before he had a chance to continue.

"Nothing like a little peace and quiet, right?" Lelantos chuckled.

"And you just spoiled it," Alex muttered. That got the King to scoff silently. Grunt cracked a grin and laughed. The drones made short work of any other Blood Pack that showed up. When they got to a working console, Mordin was, once again, ready to evaluate it.

"So, you enjoyed doing this?" John frowned at him.

"Best years of my life! Scientific talk. Discussions. Arguments. Debates on success. All resources available," Mordin said. "If something was needed, we had it."

"But…you hurt the krogan this way, too," Alya frowned from Zomok's back.

"No! Not hurt! Limited. All life is precious. Can't have all gone," Mordin said. "Look at rachni wars. Whole race is gone! Can't have that."

"But, all of those babies…they could have lived," she shivered. He seemed to pause.

"One in one thousand lived," he said.

"How fair is that to those that have no choice?" she asked him now.

"It was to safeguard all!" he finally said and turned away from the console.

"When my parents gave me back to the salarians, they wanted to cut me up," she shivered again. "To see what happened with me. I was stolen away again by the drones that delivered me. They wanted to make sure that I would be treated fairly."

"What?" Mordin asked. He never knew this.

"So…if I died…I would never have met you. What choice is there in that? Your own people were ready to deny my right to live a normal life. Is that fair?" she asked now. "And, from what I understand, you were the one that said I had to go back to them."

"Later. We will discuss this later," he said and seemed to swallow.

"Let's keep going," John said wisely. Mordin nodded, and they continued. Lelantos whistled at Thanatos, and Agatha was simply in agreement with her daughter.

 _:If he wasn't an ally, you'd kill him. Wouldn't you?:_ Alex asked her.

 _:I would have seen him like George. You know he wouldn't have had a chance.:_ She said with a small twinge of anger. _:But, I can tell that he regrets his choice. He had to weight his options carefully.:_

 _:If he regrets everything, then maybe he'll find a cure. I'll even help him.:_ Alya mentally nodded. Agatha gave a warm smile at her daughter and let a tendril of hair move to give her a motherly squeeze. When they came upon the bodies of several krogan females, Mordin was just disgusted at the waste of life that was being shown to him. Alya now saw firsthand at how he was fighting with his own conscious thoughts. _He hated what he did, but he has to rationalize with himself that it was needed._

"Mordin?" she asked gently.

"Yes, Alya?" he asked and looked at her.

"If you…want to make a cure for this…I would help you. I have your memories now. So…I can. I can see how this hurts you," she said softly.

"I…" he paused with indecision.

"Even Hypnos will help. We all can help. But…let's focus on finding your apprentice," she said.

"It is…hard to sleep at night. Seeing these corpses now. Knowing they died for nothing. Such a waste," he grimaced. "But…had to be done. Genophage or genocide? Genophage was best option."

"And, you still don't believe it was the right choice, anyways. You had to make a choice before it was crammed down your throat," John said. "Anyways, we still need to shut this place down."

"Yes," Mordin nodded after a bit of thought. As they moved further down the long platforms of rooms, they came across another krogan, but he looked weakened.

"Who's that? He's not attacking us?" Agatha frowned. "Is he ill?"

"Hmm. Wrong markings. Not from Blood Pack or Weyrloc," Mordin frowned.

"No. I am a scout. I was sent out to search," he said.

"Your chief scout was looking for you. You should go back," John said.

"I cannot. They did things to me. With drugs and experiments. They said I was…helping the krogan race. So, I have to stay," the krogan said.

"You're fucking brainwashed!" Alex growled at him. "Just get the fuck up and go! Or are you too chicken shit to show off that you're more than this?!"

"He's right, you know," John said. "The Weyrloc clan was planning to have their kids thrive. Not anyone else's."

"What? No! They said I would help all the clans!" the scout said.

"Sure. But, you want to really help them? The ones that experimented on you and kicked you while you were down? Or do you want to help your clan first? Go back to them now. The females would see you as a badass for being wounded and making it to them. Or are you too weak to go?"

"The females…would see me as something more, if I went to them…" the scout said in thought.

"I said a badass! What are you going to do? Sit there and complain like a quarian with a tummy-ache? Get your ass up and get to them!" John said in a sterner tone.

"I'm up! I'm going to the female camps!" the scout said and quickly charged out of the room.

"Nicely done," Mordin nodded. "Fortunately, not contagious."

"Good," Alya smiled softly.

"Glad he listened to you. I wouldn't have been so kind," Grunt growled out.

"I can't see you as being kind," Thanatos snickered. Grunt laughed with agreement, as they continued down the hallway. There were more Blood Pack in their way, but they made short work of them with the drones. Zomok protected Alya fiercely, and it even surprised them all when it launched a fireball right at a charging krogan to kill the mercenary in one shot. His armor was incinerated from the way the fire seemed to be corrosive, and he was cooked from the inside out.

"Yeah. Gemma's gonna want one," Alex chuckled. Agatha laughed softly in agreement. Hypnos's drone was sending all of the battle information directly through the link with Thanatos and Lelantos verifying everything, too. When a vorcha tried to sneak up on Agatha, her tentacled hair came alive and ripped him apart effortlessly.

"Nice!" Grunt snickered.

"It's what I usually do to those that disrespect me. Wrex saved the life of his guard," she shrugged. Grunt only nodded at that. When they finally reached the central room, Mordin paused.

"Maelon? Alive? Unharmed? No restraints? Something odd," Mordin said with surprise.

"You know," the apprentice said when he turned to face them. "for someone so smart, you're surprisingly very stupid."

"Wait," John blinked. "You agreed to be here?"

"I did. Because, I want to cure the genophage," he said.

"But…with death? Living experiments? I taught you better!" Mordin said.

"With the blood of millions on our hands, do you think a few more lives lost will matter?" Maelon countered. "It's worth the risks! The sacrifices are needed!"

"What about spreading false hope to those that had no chance?" Alya said with a small glare. Now he stared at her with shock. She had quite clearly developed into a stunning beauty to the salarian race. "What are you to tell the dead now that all of your attempts have failed?"

"They haven't failed! I'm on the brink of the cure!" Maelon said. "If we never intervened, the krogan could have had their own renaissance! Their own culture again! I came here to tell them that I was willing to help them find a viable cure."

"What about Wrex? Did he know? Did you go to him?" John asked. Lelantos and Thanatos were already directing drones to ready themselves to home in on the apprentice.

"Yes. I did go to him, but Wrex was too soft. He wouldn't help me. So, I went to Weyrloc. They'll be the first to thrive," Maelon said. Now Agatha stood up from Spike's back.

"Just so you know," she said regally. "that one krogan speaker we killed said that his 'Clan Weyrloc' was going to cause mass destruction in all parts of the galaxy. Kill off your race and eat your eggs. Force the other races into a form of slavery. What are your thoughts on that?"

"Some sacrifices have to be made!" he argued with her. "Weyrloc had the most resources for what I needed, too. Even though I knew what they were, they at least agreed to help me."

"Despite the brutal savagery of the ones that agreed?" she asked in a tone of disbelief. Alex was simply getting more and more pissed off. But, he kept his rage under control. He didn't want too many to know of his new biotic enhancements just yet.

"Mordin, what do you want to do?" John asked.

"This must stop. Too much death. No results," Mordin said.

"You don't get it!" Maelon shouted and took out a gun. "I did what I had to do to make the cure! I need to reverse the wrong that we did!"

"A gun? Really?" Alex asked with a raised brow and sighed with a shake of his head. At this small distraction, Mordin was quick to sucker-punch his apprentice to send him flying back into the glowing screen he was working on. The gun was dropped, and a drone confiscated it. Now Mordin's gun was drawn. His face was grim, as he glared at his apprentice.

"Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won't change. No choice. Have to kill you," Mordin growled and pointed his gun right at the younger salarian's head.

"Mordin, stop. You don't need to do this," John said. "You're not a murderer."

"He's right," Alya said when she finally stepped over to him to rest a three-fingered hand on his arm. "You are better than this. You try to preserve life. You kept your hands clean. Don't do this."

"No. Not a murderer. Thank you," Mordin said. His apprentice was only nodding with agreement. Then he wiped the sweat from his brow. Mordin looked at Alya and fought with himself to keep from hugging her close. For now, he won that small, inner battle.

"He's not a murderer. However, I am," Alex growled and grew out his claws. "I kill pieces of shit like you all the time. Then my family slow roasts the fuckers on a spit. I can do the same thing to you. Convince me to not kill you. Now."

"I was only trying to find a cure to reverse what we did!" Maelon said with a slight trace of panic in his tone now. "I mean…"

"Can any of this get leaked out?" Agatha asked.

"No. Special forces can lock any and all information. Tracks covered well. I have coding to help. No trace," Mordin nodded. "Experiment is over."

"What do I do now?" Maelon asked.

"Go to Omega. Make a clinic," Mordin seemed to smirk. "You know enough. I didn't teach you everything I know."

"Beat it! Before I change my mind on agreeing with him!" Alex snarled out viciously. Spike gave a low growl, as the younger salarian passed it to leave.

"What do we do about this?" Lelantos asked about the data screen.

"I shall eradiate the notes," Mordin said. "Too many variables. Could prove useful. But, unsure. Best to remove them. Only loose end."

"Wait," Alya said. "Look. He did make some amazing breakthroughs! Stuff like this would take decades to bring back, right? We can use this to help make a cure, but in a safer way. I know you want to fix this, too. It can be done now."

"Hmm…" Mordin thought intensely and looked through some of the notations she pointed out. "Ah! I see. Yes. You are correct!"

"Hypnos also has some ideas to help, too," she smiled. He could only nod with agreement, as he copied down the notes to his Omni-tool and removed the data from the base.

"We are done here. We can go now? Preferably to some place more sunny," Mordin asked.

"I think we're done here," Alex nodded.

"Oh, before we leave Tuchanka, we need to go back and see Wrex. Several of his clan members made a bet that they couldn't take out a giant Hunter. So…" Lelantos said with a small grin.

"You brought one?" Agatha asked with a raised brow.

"Possibly…" Thanatos grinned.

"Well, Shepard, looks like we're gonna eat some popcorn after all!" Alex grinned.

"Oh, boy…" John said with a roll of his eyes. Alya giggled with her mother. Grunt was clearly amused and would want to see what this was all about. Since the place was cleared out, it was just a simple matter of walking back the way they came. The moment they got to the armored vehicle, they piled into it to drive back to the Urdnot clan.

When they got there, a steel crate was already in the center of make-shift arena by various drones. Wrex was clearly curious over what was going to happen, and he was seated up high for safety. The others joined him to watch, and various members of his clan circled around the massive steel crate to show they were ready to fight.

"You have some coffins ready?" Alex asked.

"If they die, we will burn their bodies with honor. And, that's after we tell them they were idiots," Wrex snorted. Agatha nodded with a small smile. Spike was sighing with contentment from where it settled at her feet and enjoying the tentacle caresses. Even Zomok was getting such treatment, as it stood behind her. Evren was circling around the area protectively.

When the crate opened, the massive Hunter roared and charged at the first krogan it sensed. Bullets bounced off its hide harmlessly. A grenade was launched to simply leave a mild burn mark, and it howled with rage before turning and leaping onto the offending krogan.

"I am impressed!" Grunt grinned. "This thing is as savage as a thresher maw!"

"Indeed. This thing could turn the tide of any war," Wrex mused.

"Yep. We set one loose on the Blood Pack on Omega," Alex snickered. That got the old krogan laughing with amusement.

"How did it die?" the chief scout asked from where he sat.

"I killed it. Ripped out its heart. Then I ate the heart," Agatha said with a small shrug. That got several witnessing krogans to stare at her with shock.

"This thing won't die!" one of the challenging krogans snarled out. Just as the Hunter bore down on him now, the ground shook hard before Evren launched out to snap its jaws around the Hunter's head. Then it jerked backwards to break the neck and drag it down beneath the sand to feast.

"Holy shit…" John said with complete shock.

"Agreed…" Mordin said with a small swallow. Agatha now rose up with Alex, and her drone entourage followed her into the arena sands. Evren reappeared with a quick launch up from the sand and snuggled into her side with complete affection.

"Such a good creature you are!" Agatha crooned and let her tentacles caress it lovingly. It coughed out the heart for her, and Kim took it to hold onto. "Thank you!"

"This thing grew another fifty feet. It's also another three hundred pounds, since it's been here. Very fast growth. Probably from all the food," Alex muttered out. "Okay. Time to jump ship to Olympus. We ready to go?"

"I can't wait for the next battle!" Grunt snarled.

"That may come soon enough," John nodded.

"Robert's getting jealous. He wants to join us on a mission," Lelantos muttered out.

"He's the President of our timeline. He stays the fuck on Olympus," Alex growled.

"Maybe a basic mission will work," Agatha mused. "Well protected, of course."

"We'll see," Alex sighed. As they moved onto a larger transport hive ship for the two pets, Mordin stopped Alya before they boarded.

"I wanted to…thank you. For being there," Mordin said lightly.

"You're welcome," she smiled.

"Also…decision was made. I accept," he nodded.

"Accept what?"

"Blood."

"What blood?"

"The blood from…ah. You jest with me?" he asked with a slight smile.

"You're learning!" she said with an upwards wink. "Talk to Hypnos when we get to Olympus. After that, well…"

"I will approach you," he nodded. She nodded back, and they moved onto the transport ship to head off Tuchanka.


	35. Chapter 35

Mordin was quick to find Hypnos without further delay. Hypnos was slightly grinning when he assisted with giving over the shot of his mother's blood. Now, with this important part out of the way, Mordin looked over in the direction where Alya's room was.

"Just be aware of this," Hypnos advised lightly. "She is expecting you. Did you want to go to her? Or do you want her to come to you?"

"Hmm," Mordin thought it over carefully. "I made an appointment. But…"

"Let's go with a middle ground," Olympus said through one of the lesser drones of Robin. "A garden area was just installed, thanks to King Eros's assistance."

"Ah! Yes. Go there. You can also let us know if we need any other fauna," Hypnos agreed. "We can hear your thoughts now, so there will be no need to voice it. Just think of what you know we need. We will get the required items."

"I will be delighted!" Mordin smiled with an upwards blink of his eyes. When he left, the drone walked over to Hypnos to mutter to him.

"There is also a hidden space in the garden for…extended stays," it chuckled.

"Does Mother know?" Hypnos asked with a slightly larger grin.

"Our Emperor and Empress have already tested it and approved of it," it grinned back.

"Good. I should take Eir there next. Let me know when it's free?" he chuckled.

"I shall!" the drone nodded. As they conversed, Shepard was faced with a dilemma from a new email message he got on the Normandy. He could only sigh over it.

"I have to tell them," he muttered to himself and turned to simply glance around him. "Hey! Are one of you hanging around here?"

"Of course," a lesser drone of Aiden said. It dropped the cloaking from where it stood along the wall. "What can we assist with?"

"The Illusive Man has, apparently, sent me an email before our little chat with him. With Alex and Agatha, that is. I just saw it. Yes, I normally have someone tell me if I have a message or not. Even EDI tells me. But, well, with all this shit happening around me…"

"We understand," the drone nodded.

"We have another person to recruit. So, technically, we have two more people to get. It sucks, but, we need the allies," he shrugged. The drone relayed the message to the hive mind.

"We will assist. Tell us where to go so we can help you," it nodded again.

"Well, here's the deal. Who do we go after first?" Shepard asked. "We have an asari to pick up, and another that you haven't met yet. He's part of the drell species. If you search my memories, then you'll figure them out."

"Very interesting…" the drone said when the memories were found. Shepard looked over to see Lelantos walking up to him with a small wave. John wasn't sure how he got on the Normandy, but he was sure that EDI already knew they were allies and granted permission to board. As much as it unnerved him a bit, he was a bit relieved at the extra show of help.

"The drell looks interesting. We should get him first. We'll get the asari gal after. Do we have names on them?" the King asked.

"From what I read in the emails, the asari is named Samara. The drell is known as Thane Krios. Thane is a bit of an assassin. I'm not too sure about Samara."

"Okay. Yeah, we need the assassin first. Do we have a lockdown of where they are? We can start getting drones ready to scope out certain things."

"Sure. Let's go to the star map," John said and gestured for a walk. "Samara was last seen going towards Illium. You've been there before for the black market stuff and the odd ship purchase. And…hmm. Thane is also on Illium. We may be able to get them both in one shot."

"Really? That would save us some time," Lelantos grinned and thought to the hive mind. "We have a lot of drones there already. When do you want to go?"

"How soon can you leave?" he asked evenly. Lelantos barked out laughter and sent the word to his Emperor. Alex was laying back in his bed with Agatha on Olympus and musing to himself on various things. _She was getting close to birthing drones, so it was pretty good timing for this to come up._ He was amused at everything, too.

"What do we know?" Agatha asked, as she fed him a small bit of tender thresher heart.

"What is there to know?" he snorted and reclined easily. "Both of them appear to be intense badasses that we need to help Shepard find. And…now that I think about it…I don't think I like the hanar race. The jelly things that float around. I wanna catch one and fry it up."

"We can do that," Agatha chuckled. "But…why?"

"Shepard had to force one to leave on the Citadel. They remind me of certain humans that like to preach about their faiths. Constantly. Kinda annoying," he grunted. "Really glad we didn't meet one."

"And yet, you want to eat one?" she mused. He grinned at her and kissed her.

"Want me to eat you?" he snickered.

"Are you telling me that you're willing to try?" she blinked at him. Now he cleared his throat and backed down. She gave him a small, wry grin.

"Fuck no," he muttered and got her laughing. "We tried that route. I lost that round."

"That you did," Nick chuckled and laughed at the one finger salute retort.

"Even with the body paint," she sighed. At the dirty look he gave her, she grinned.

"I used it everywhere else," he growled at her to get her shivering with excitement.

"But, I was thinking about something lately," she mumbled in the kiss he gave her.

"Hmm?"

"You did become a female to get close to something."

"You have no proof!" he growled.

"You were me to get close to Leopold," she smirked at him.

"Nope!" he grinned. "You didn't have Dana's female hormones in you. You were, technically, not a true female. I still win."

"Fuck that! You had my tits!" she scowled. Now Nick looked over with a raised brow.

"Nick, you shut the fuck up!" Alex warned. Spike now tilted its head over and seemed to chuckle. "Fuck you, too!"

"I'm surprised you didn't fondle yourself when you had the chance," she mused.

"I was not a female. I bared your looks, yes. But, you couldn't even have a period much less any form of fertility. You don't qualify," he muttered thickly and moved to stand.

"Alex…" she frowned. At his over the shoulder glance at her, he noticed that she was touch upset about it now. He groaned softly and rolled his eyes a touch.

"Hera," he sighed and moved to hug her to him. "I don't want to think about that right now. Okay?"

"Very well, Zeus," she said softly and got kissed. "Hmm. Interesting request…"

"That's right. We promised Silus a female, didn't we?" he thought aloud at what he heard in the link. "That was after we saved his people, too."

"After these two recruits, you think?" she asked.

"Yeah. In fact, if we're going to Illium, we could take Robert with us for trade contracts. We do need more supplies for the thresher and Hunter farming. Osiris and Isis will likely be with him. As well as us. Yes, we will be able to go," Alex smirked at her small, beaming smile. "You're almost due to give birth, so we'll make sure to go right after. You have an hour left?"

"About that much," she nodded. "Should I wear my soldier gear?"

"No. You are an Empress. You are to look like an Empress. Your soldier uniform is a fucking turn on to me and any other guy that sees you in it," he snorted. That got her laughing softly with knowing. "I think Silus can meet us there. He can help escort Robert."

"We can arrange for that. Oh! We should check on Liara, too," Agatha said. "She's based there, and we can see what she learned. Can't we?"

"Yeah. Let's do that," Alex nodded. He spent the rest of the hour feeding her, and he helped her with the eggs the moment she was ready to birth them. After that, he left her to let her dress up. He found John waiting in the docking area of Olympus where the Normandy was, and they shook hands on meeting up. "Shepard. Agatha will be here soon. We were thinking of catching up with Liara."

"Oh? Hmm. Yeah. Let's see how she is," he chuckled. He did clear his throat at the sight of Agatha coming over on Spike's back in her Grecian finery. At the sight of Robert, Isis, and Osiris, he waved at them. When Thanatos and Lelantos came over, Alex glared at them.

"No. Back to your ships," Alex growled.

"But…" Thanatos started. Then he paused at the warning blue spark that shot off his Emperor's form. "Of course, my Emperor."

"What will you have us do?" Lelantos asked.

"Monitor Illium from afar. You have a shit ton of drones down there already. Stick to them to monitor us. Ah, no. You stay here!" he growled at Zomok when it flew over to land. It kreeled at him with a touch of hurt. Spike snorted and moved over to it. It wanted Agatha to comfort it.

"You need to stay here," she soothed and let her tentacle hair caress over it. A metal board was now produced by a drone for Spike to tap out on.

 _-Worried. Wants to help. Protect Mistress. -_ it tapped out.

"No. It will be caught and shot at. Evren can't come with us, either," Alex said bluntly. "They have to stay here. Most of the people know about you. We can't let them come with us this time around. Think about it carefully."

"He's right. But, how about this. You can wait on the ship we come in on. If I'm in any danger, you can come out to play. However, if there is no danger, you must stay on the ship. Agreed?" she smiled. It chirred and danced about on spindly legs at this. "As for Evren, it's too big to travel with us. It will have to stay here. Maybe we'll pick up some nice treats for it."

"Mother," Hypnos said when he walked over. "I had to come over when talk of the pets happened. Ah…don't feed Evren right now. When it eats, it grows. A lot."

"How much we talking?" Alex asked.

"Here is a piece of shedding…" Hypnos said and gestured to his drones to drop the massive shell segment. They were all floored. It was easily the length of Alex and weighed over a hundred pounds.

"The Hunter it ate?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah. It gained an extra thirty feet of length and a staggering thousand pounds of sheer mass. If we want to let it travel with us, we have to feed it small things. Right now, Evren is pretty full," Hypnos chuckled. Agatha was giggling at that.

"This piece of shed looks like high-tech armor…" Alex mused on looking it over. "Think we can do something with it?"

"Hmm…" Hypnos mused now. "I didn't consider that! Yes. We'll test a few things."

"It has natural segments, too, that we can work with," Thanatos muttered out. "Okay. I think we can convert my ship into a thresher shedding armory shop. I'll have some extensive tests run on it."

"Garrus can help test some guns on it," Lelantos grinned. "We could even get Jack to test some biotic attacks against it, too. Maybe even wear some of it to see if it helps or hinders her."

"Good. Keep yourselves busy. Fuck. May have to feed Evren to get more shedding," Alex smirked and got Hypnos clearing his throat at the thought. "Or, we make more like Evren."

"We do have a few eggs in the process," Hypnos nodded.

"Can Zomok shed?" Agatha asked.

"I haven't found any shedding as of yet. Oh. My drones are finding more thresher eggs. We'll bring them here," Hypnos chuckled. Then he looked at Spike. "We may need more blood from you."

 _-I will give. Later.-_ Spike grunted with a few taps.

 _:Mother, I actually need some now. Can you assist?:_ Hypnos asked in the link. Agatha chuckled softly, stood up, and let her tendriled hair move to give Spike some intense affection. The Hunter seemed to groan and flop onto the ground in a daze of comfort. Hypnos was able to collect the blood he needed easily this way. Alex smirked and watched the Hunter come back around to let her sit back where she was on its back.

"Commander," Alex said lightly.

"Yes?" both Robert and Shepard said together. At Alex's wide grin, and Agatha's bought of laughter, they both seemed to glare at Alex.

"You did that on purpose," Robert grumbled.

"I did," Alex grinned widely. "Anyways…Robert…you can come with us to Illium. We need more trades done, and you can help. You've been working with the thresher and Hunter farms."

"I know I have. What would I be looking for?" Robert asked, as they made their way to one of the drone transport ships. "If anything, we need more scrap metal."

"All around, we do," the drone of Olympus said when it appeared. "That is the one resource we desperately need. Not only for your projects, but for the growth of the fleet."

"Hmm. Can we harvest some asteroids?" Alex asked.

"It may be possible. I shall work with King Thanatos and King Lelantos," the drone nodded.

"But, I wanted to play!" Lelantos pouted.

"You can play by helping the ships gain more teeth," Agatha said with a small grin. That made Lelantos pause with complete consideration at that.

"They need stronger teeth, too. We couldn't even hack a tidbit from that dead Reaper. Remember?" Osiris sighed. "Maybe Mordin can help with something?"

"I can have Alya ask him. A bit later, though," Thanatos winked.

"What?" Shepard frowned.

"Alya and Mordin are…discussing negotiations about various things," Lelantos hinted.

"Already?! Huh. I guess I'll be shaking his hand later," Shepard chuckled.

"Quite possibly," Agatha agreed. "Isis, my dear. I need you to see to anything that Liara has found out. I have a feeling she may need our assistance."

"I can do that, Mother," Isis nodded. With them ready to head to Illium, Mordin was studying the intense fauna in the new botanical garden. He noted several plant species that could prove to help him with further research, as well as making a list of known plant species that would be needed on a data pad he carried. He knew he'd be coming back here for specimens.

"Hey," he heard a soft voice from behind him.

"Hmm? Oh…" he paused with shock at seeing Alya in dark blue evening dress.

"It's pretty here, isn't it?" she said and moved passed him silently to look out over a clear lake. It was dotted with water lilies of various types. The dress perfectly accentuated her figure. He didn't realize that he was starting to sweat. The scientist side was finally shoved down and away.

"Agreed…" he said and seemed to clear his throat.

"What plants have you seen that can be used?" she asked calmly.

"I…have been making…a list…" he said and tried to focus.

"Really? Can I see it?" she asked and gestured for the data pad.

"Sure…" he swallowed. He didn't give it over yet.

"I'm waiting for it," she said with a small smile.

"I'll show it to you later," he muttered and pulled her close to finally kiss her to seal her to him. On the transport ship, Osiris was laughing a bit at what the hive link gleaned.

"I can't wait to see what the two of them will create together," Agatha beamed and squeezed her mate to her. Alex was rather curious, too, as he gently squeezed her back.

"Well, salarians are known to create eggs. Not all sure how it would turn out," Shepard seemed to shrug. Just as the ship was ready to fly off, a small thought was sent to keep it there.

"What now?!" Alex growled out.

"Sorry. I have to come along," Garrus said when he jumped into a seat quickly. "You are going to a place that I need to be at. I know who to talk to for some small arms deals that I need. Oh. There's Zaeed. Crap. I was hoping he wasn't going to see me leave."

"I got somethin' to do there, too!" the old mercenary said when he settled in. "This chair is…weird. Wait. This is one of them, isn't it?"

"Yep!" Osiris chuckled. "You are inside a drone ship. Still want to tag along?"

"Fuck me!" Zaeed shuddered at the feel of a tentacle growing out to lock him down securely. "Well…fuck it. I'm here. Let's go."

"Why did you want to come along, anyways?" Agatha asked, as the ship began to take off.

"I can get some good booze," Zaeed grinned.

"You are not drinking it around the guns I have to calibrate," Garrus warned him. Agatha shook her head, but then she paused with a bit of worry. Alex noticed this right away.

 _:What's wrong, love?:_ he asked her in a private link.

 _:I'm worried about Cronus. We haven't heard from him for some time.:_ she admitted.

 _:Fuck. You're right!:_ Alex narrowed his eyes and sought out Heimdall. The King showed instant attention. _:Heimdall, where is Cronus?:_

 _:He was keeping low in case_ they _can hear us in the link. I'm not sure why he would suspect it, but he's been trying to protect us by isolating himself just a bit. He wanted to send Rea to us for protection. In case the shit hit the fan. I was going to inform you of this the moment I could. So, I'm glad you reached out. What do you think?:_ Heimdall said with a touch of concern.

 _:Do it. Send her to Aite. Hermes is there with Dana, and she can arrive with Carlos. We don't know what will happen to her, but she'll be safe with us. If he fucks up…:_ Alex winced.

 _:Did you want us to send up the part of himself he left with us?:_

 _:Yes. Do it. We'll make a part of Olympus a storage bin for spare parts. Have all of the Kings and Queens do this now. We can even make Aite a safe place to store backups, as we'll be living on the planet. Olympus can likely expand itself on the planet to make a safe house. Get whoever you need to start on this. Now.:_ Alex ordered. He glanced at his mate and mentally told her what was going on.

"I look forward to seeing Rea," she smiled.

"Rea will be here?" Osiris frowned.

"Cronus is laying low. He thinks the shit is gonna hit a fan. Bad. He wants to protect her. So, Rea and Carlos will be here with us on Olympus. We are also getting all the parts from them to protect them. In case something big happens. You know the drill. I'll expect you all to help with this. Heimdall was given the mission, but we need to speed it up," Alex explained lightly.

"What would be happening?" Shepard asked.

"I have old enemies, as you know. The Illusive Man may have made friends with them. We are playing it safe," Alex growled darkly. "Anyways, how far off are we to Illium?"

"We're here," Isis said. "Much faster than I would have thought!"

"I have been evolving," the drone of Olympus chuckled. Alex only nodded and let Agatha cuddle into him when they made a final landing.

 _:Let's find Liara.:_ Agatha soothed.

 _:Yeah. Let's do that.:_ he agreed and squeezed her before guiding her off the drone ship. Robert moved off with Osiris and Isis to get the trades they needed done. Shepard guided the others to where Liara was in her office.

"Oh, good. You're here," she smiled and let them in. "I need your help. I think I'm finally on a lead to the Shadow Broker."

"What do you need?" Alex asked right away. Shepard only nodded to show his own support. Nick was chuckling at the dark green dress she wore now with a white stripe down the front of it. It almost resembled a spandex suit.

"There are terminals all over that I need…a way into," she started.

"We can hack them," Agatha chuckled. Liara nodded slightly and paused when several drones materialized around her office. "You forgot about them?"

"You could say that," the asari chuckled a bit nervously. The bugs were given over with distinct instructions. Once they were in place a bit later, she began to access the terminals. "I was right! I'm a step closer to the goal!"

"What did you find out?" Shepard asked.

"I have a friend that was captured by the Shadow Broker, you see," she frowned. "I have to get him out. He got caught while I was trying to keep your body safe. When you were dead. So, I was hoping to use him as a tracker."

"Oh. Hmm. Your memories show he's another drell. Interesting," Alex mused aloud.

"Yes. He's a…good friend," she smiled softly.

"If you need an extra boost of support, the drones can also report to Hypnos," Agatha said. Spike snorted and moved to give Liara a small nudge for scratches. "Aww! Mr. Fluffster likes you!"

"I'm…surprised?" she cringed a bit, but she did give it a small shoulder scratch.

"It just means that, should you come to harm, it will rush out to kill whatever is trying to harm you," Garrus chuckled. Zaeed seemed to grimace, but he kept quiet.

"You know…" Shepard paused in thought. "I actually do have something about the Shadow Broker. Huh. I forgot. Cerberus had some dirt out on him, and it was given to me to help track him down. Or it. Whatever the Shadow Broker is. This was from a conversation I had when I was briefed alone. Glad I remembered it."

"What?" Alex asked with a bit of rare surprise.

"You did?" Garrus asked.

"And you just now remembered?" Zaeed frowned. Shepard held up his hands and looked at their current company. Agatha pursed her lips together and giggled to herself.

"Well…what do you have?" Liara asked. He pulled up a data pad and found the information. He gave it to her, and she paused with complete surprise at the drell that appeared on it.

"Feron! He's alive. This is good news," she smiled. "I owe him my life. I have to find him to help him. I don't know what is going on with him now."

"But…how did he save you?" Alex asked. He could review her memories, but he knew that Shepard needed to know about it.

"The Shadow Broker wanted to sell Shepard's corpse to the Collectors. Feron and I stopped it. Feron…sacrificed himself to help me escape with Shepard. Then I gave his body over to Cerberus. They said they had a way to bring him back to life. I'm glad they did," she nodded. "As for Feron…for two years, he was gone. Now I have a way to rescue him. I thought he was dead all this time, and I had seen my way of finding the Shadow Broker as a means for revenge. Now…it can become a rescue mission. I mean…Feron…he did betray me a few times. He was sort of…double-dealing between Cerberus and the Shadow Broker. As much as I wanted to leave him behind on various occasions, he sacrificed himself for me in the end. So…"

"I can understand that," Agatha chuckled. "We'll help you find him."

"Yeah. Because finding him means we can find the same fucker that tried to hurt my mate!" Alex growled darkly. "Tell us anything else you can when you find it."

"You can come by my apartment later. I may have something more for you," Liara nodded.

 _:Love, I have an idea.:_ Agatha nudged her mate in their private link.

 _:Details?:_ he chuckled and moved to let her hug him.

 _:There are a lot of powerful asari around. Some have proven to work for other sources that we don't agree with. Can't we simply catch a few of them alive? To make them into blood farms for their natural biotics? Then we can harvest what we need in secret for ourselves.:_ she giggled. Now Alex looked at her with a rather warm smile at the thought. He rolled the idea around for a bit. Then he contacted Hypnos to relay the idea.

 _:You know what? As long as we keep quiet about it, we can do it. I'll work with Olympus now to create an extraction room. I'm sure that George and Hedeyasu may have some ideas. I'll get Ragland involved, too. Give us a day to prepare?:_ Hypnos asked. Alex gave the mental nod and moved out of the building with the others. It was time to find Thane. The hive mind couldn't wait to see how a drell would work out around them.


	36. Chapter 36

They decided to charge into the building that Thane was supposed to be infiltrating. It was actually a set of towers that were under construction. Shepard had to meet up with an asari that went by the name of Seryna to get to the building. It was agreed for the hive mind to follow along in other cars. Or by the rooftops of other buildings. It was also patrolled by an asari mercenary band known as the Eclipse. The building was owned by another asari by the name of Nassana. Shepard recognized the name easily. He wasn't pleased.

 _The same asari that set me up to kill her sister to remove unwanted business ends._ He sighed and shook his head. Garrus and Zaeed were with him in the back seat. As they listened in on what was going on, the viral mind was moving in cloaked transport ships. The drones were jumping from car to car to help keep up to add more support.

"Maybe I should have brought my micro bikini…" Agatha mused aloud in the transport ship they had initially arrived in. She easily saw the drones racing each other to get to their location.

"Fuck. You," Alex growled next to her. "You'd be pregnant by the time we got there."

"Oh, I'm just thinking of racing a few of my daughters on the way back," she grinned wickedly. She barked out laughing at the smoldering glare he gave her now, but she knew he was horny as all hell about the whole thing.

"Bitch!" he growled and pulled her close to kiss her thoroughly. "Raped on the way back. Guaranteed. Count on it."

"I'd expect no less," she murmured and let him kiss her again. "So, where are we going?"

"We are going to a place called the Dantius Towers. Still under construction, but they are functioning to a point. The place is owned by an asari. Not one of the good kinds, either, from what various memories can show us," Nick said from where it lounged. Spike snorted and sighed with boredom. Agatha let her tendriled hair come alive to give it some caressing strokes of affection. That got it to sigh again and roll onto its back with contentment. When Zomok wanted attention, the same loving strokes were given over to placate it. Alex looked over at Spike and started laughing.

"I'm waiting for it to start jerking a leg if you scratch it the right way," Alex snickered.

"It's not a dog! Mr. Fluffster is my traveling companion. Aren't you?" she crooned to hear it groan with a form of agreement.

"My Empress, we are approaching the building. What did you want to do?" the drone of Olympus asked from where it guided the small ship at the helm.

"Alex?" she smiled at him.

"Hmm? Oh. Let's park on the roof. We have enough drones inside to tell us when to make an entrance, right? Or to at least monitor?" Alex asked.

"Fifty drones just entered the building in a cloaked guise. Three are on the bridge that attaches the towers together. It's just a matter of waiting now," Nick chuckled.

"And we have our entourage clinging to the outside of our ship, too," Alex nodded. "Good."

"What do we know about this asari woman?" she asked.

"She kills whoever gets in her way," Alex shrugged. "Kinda like me. But, I'm only messy about it when I have to be. She just…gets paranoid."

"Pathetic," she mumbled. Then she sighed and said, "I am getting hungry."

"We'll feed you when we land on the roof," he nodded and let her snuggle against him. Then he paused at an idea. "So…this place is run by an asari bitch?"

"From what we can see," Nick nodded.

"Hera. We should catch her," he grinned wickedly. "Remember your idea?"

"Oh? Hmm. Maybe we can bring her back after she gets killed?" she mused.

"It will be easy to induce a coma," Nick nodded. "Keep the body fed and locked down. Hypnos and Mordin can work on that."

"Good. Keep an eye on the bitch's corpse. If we find others, they can join her," Alex grinned. "If most of the asari mercs are powerful, then why not?"

"Even commandos can be corrupted," Agatha sighed and shook her head. "Of course, we only want to keep the strongest ones that have the best in natural biotics. If this bitch has nothing, then we don't need her."

"All asari are powerful. They just need to be trained the right way," Nick snorted. "Their blood still has what we need. We just filter out the shit."

"That we do," Alex nodded with complete agreement. Agatha giggled and felt the ship land rather gently on the roof. The drones already took care of any sensors that may have compromised them. "Are we on the second building? Or the first one?"

"The second one. We'll wait for a bit here. If that bitch is in the penthouse, we are right above her," Alex snickered darkly. "As much as I want to crash in and spoil the fun, let's let Shepard get his licks in first. He needs it."

"You know Garrus would be pissed if he doesn't get at least one kill shot in. Even two," Nick chuckled and helped feed Agatha.

"Another thing I need to tell you," Alex said and muttered a bit huskily in her ear. "The clones of Leopold. They are starting up."

"I'm killing five of them," she said in such a cold tone that he could only grin.

"I was thinking of using new biotic tech on them in various ways," he whispered in her ear.

"One needs to be killed off in cold blood," she said with a harder edge in her tone.

"We can do that. And…here's something else to think about. Gemma likes dragons. The drell kinda look like them. Don't they?" he laughed lightly. Now she looked at him with complete surprise.

"They are of a reptilian form of race. Their skin is known to be a bit poisonous to some. Even causes hallucinogens if left close for too long. Some people spike drinks with it. They need really arid environments, though. They can get sick, if they lived in humidity for too long. Maybe we can set up a small section where Evren is on Olympus for any of them. Evren needs a desert to really grow in. They can help tend to it," Nick mused aloud. Agatha was rather pleased at the idea, and the idea was now given over to the hive link. Drones were now constructing housing in Evren's location on Olympus.

"Zomok can live pretty much anywhere else. Shouldn't be an issue," Alex said. Zomok chirred curiously at him from where it stood behind them all on the small ship.

"My Empress," Kim said and displayed a random assortment of various edibles for her. With Agatha being neatly pampered, John was making his way through the building. He had saved a salarian worker before he died from being shot by defense drones, and he was busy taking out any other mercenary guards that were in the way. If he found any other salarian workers, he was able to show that he was there to help, too. With each room he cleared, a drone was nearby to gather up any asari wounded to fully take them out of the fight for hive use. It was Zaeed that caught a body being dragged off.

"Hey! Who's movin' the corpse?" he frowned.

"What?" Garrus asked and looked behind him. "Oh. It's a drone?"

"We will be collecting blood from the enemy," a lesser drone of Nick said when it walked over. "What better way to get it than from those who tried to kill us?"

"What will you use it for?" John asked.

"Possible biotic enhancements. If you wanted to see what can be done for you, we can assist with that," the drone nodded. Now Garrus was intrigued. John rose a brow at this. Zaeed was also thoughtful.

"No innocents, right?" John asked.

"No," the drone nodded with agreement.

"We were hoping to collect the main asari in charge, if that one proved hostile," a lesser version of Kim said when it walked over. John bit back a small cough to hide a laugh.

"Not sure. That one is pretty high up, if memory serves correct. I'd go with a vial of blood instead," Garrus advised. "It may be safer."

"He's right," John nodded.

"We will take what you have said into consideration," the lesser version of Nick nodded.

 _:He may have a point. Drain the bitch dry after everyone leaves.:_ Alex ordered.

 _:Will do!:_ Lelantos grinned and ordered his drones to do just that. He had ten of them waiting in the main penthouse, anyways. The drones also saw the drell assassin moving about and killing any mercs that got too close to innocent bystanders. He was a bit of an 'honorable' assassin.

 _:I wanna become his best friend.:_ Hermanubis chimed in.

 _:Why?:_ Sigyn asked.

 _:He kills like I do.:_ the breeder snickered.

 _:No.:_ Alex smirked at him. _:You kill like someone with their head up their ass. When he kills someone, it's as though he's holding a glass of champagne and refuses to spill a drop. He is WAY more professional than you. Fuck. Maybe he'll teach you a thing or two.:_

Sigyn died laughing in the link at her brother's outburst. Even Agatha was nearly in tears from it. Now that the breeder male was put in his place and pouting, Alex refocused on what the drones were able to tell him.

"Did you come here to kill me?" the asari woman behind the massive desk console asked when Shepard walked into the main penthouse room. "Just name your price, or tell me how much you were paid, and I'll double it for you to walk away. I mean it."

"I'm not here to kill you. I'm looking for someone. And, I think it's the same one trying to kill you. Just trust me, Nassana," Shepard said. She didn't buy it and had her remaining Eclipse on watch.

"So, you expect me to believe all that after you barge in and kill my mercenaries? Seriously? If anything, I would have thought it was one of my sisters. Much less you. A shame to meet again this way," she muttered and shook her head. The blue-skinned asari was wearing a dark brown gown with red stitching all over. It was rather high-class, but it wasn't bullet proof.

"I'm only looking for someone," Shepard said again with an eye roll.

"If he wasn't, then you'd already be dead," Garrus smirked. Zaeed cracked a grin, but remained wary, too. Then Shepard glanced up when he heard something moving about in the ducts.

 _:That's the assassin. Do not reveal yourselves.:_ Alex warned the drones. After the agreement given, they watched the drell assassin neatly jump down from the ventilation duct and snap the neck of a mercenary. Then he point-blank shot down the other two mercs in the room before doing the same to Nassana in her belly. The type of gun he used didn't even spill blood. It simply crushed up her insides with a heavy biotic pulse. It easily did the job, as she started gasping for air in pain. He lay her down gently over her console and crossed her hands over her chest. Then the drell began to pray.

"Are you Thane?" Shepard asked. "I was hoping to talk to you."

"Please do not interrupt my prayers for the wicked," the drell said calmly.

"For her? I don't think that's necessary," Shepard said.

"No. For me," Thane nodded. "I was a bit curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Look at all of the destruction and chaos when you walked in. I prefer silence and stealth. Anyways, here I am."

"I can see that," Shepard nodded. "And…you were expecting me?"

"When you walked in, there was gunfire and explosions. You fought through the guards. As for me, I don't like to be seen. If I fight through the guards, then I did something wrong," Thane seemed to smirk. Garrus suddenly turned around to mutter softly to something. Shepard looked over with curiosity.

"Sorry. I got a message that my kids want to meet him. I said no," the turian grunted.

"Yeah. Let's not have the freak show come around," Zaeed smirked with a short laugh.

"Okay, now you know that Khonsu is going to pay you a visit. You're screwed," Garrus sighed.

"I don't need that perverted freak around me!" Zaeed scowled.

"Stop it!" John muttered sharply. Thane looked at them a bit oddly. "Sorry. I had to find you. I need you for a mission. Have you heard of the Collectors?"

"Only by reputation," Thane admitted.

"If you've heard of the attack on Freedom's Progress, well…that was the Collectors. Their handiwork. They're abducting humans. I want to go after them," he said calmly.

"Really? That means going through the Omega Four relay. No ship has ever returned from there," he frowned with indecision.

"Well…they also said I couldn't get to Ilos, either," he chuckled.

"Ah. Very true," Thane nodded with understanding. "This was supposed to be my last job. You see…I'm dying. A bit of a sickness. But, I don't care about that. My mortality doesn't concern me. The abduction of the colonists does."

"Ah…dying? Is there anything I can help with that?" he had to ask. Garrus and Zaeed glanced at each other with small frowns.

"It's not contagious, and it won't hinder my fighting ability. That's not an issue. But, if you want to know more, we'll chat later on your ship. I'll join you. No charge," Thane said and moved to shake Shepard's hand. "It will be an honor to help you."

"Of course," Shepard smiled. "Is there anything else you need?"

"I just want to make the universe a little bit brighter before I die. That's all I need," the drell said.

 _:We should see if he wants to try being cured.:_ Agatha said in the link. _:If it's an illness, I do have to wonder if my blood would help him.:_

 _:All in due time, Mother.:_ Hypnos chuckled.

 _:Of course.:_ she seemed to sigh. _:Do you think we have time to get the asari while we are here? The other recruit?:_

 _:I think so. Let's ask Shepard. One of you uncloak.:_ Alex ordered. A lesser version of Nick dropped the cloaking and walked up to Shepard. Thane took a step back with a rare form of shock.

"We are on the same side. We work with Commander Shepard," it nodded. While Thane digested this, the drone was keen to take a full note of what the drell looked like. The sides of his face and neck appeared to have horizontal lines, almost like scales, going down his body from there. The front of his face appeared to have scale-like plates. It almost appeared to look like a mask. His eyes appeared to look black, and two different sets of eye lids were there. One was a thin membrane that blinked sideways to remove dust. Then his eyes blinked from both up and down areas to meet in the center. The top of his head looked like a rather elaborate crest.

 _:He is rather handsome. But, I'm not sure if I want Gemma to meet with him.:_ Agatha chuckled.

 _:Why shouldn't I meet him?:_ Gemma seemed to pout.

 _:We don't know how he would react to us. For one.:_ Alex grunted out. _:Stay away from him until he knows us better. Then we will see.:_

 _:Yes, Dad.:_ she sighed.

 _:There are plenty of other ones out there.:_ Agatha said gently.

 _:I know. But…I want him.:_ she said softly.

 _:What?:_ Alex asked with a bit mirth. _:Why?:_

 _:Well, it's like how Orion felt with Mellony. He just knew on seeing her. You know?:_ she tried to explain. Agatha was a bit amused at all of this.

 _:Mother, let her try. Trust me!:_ Alya giggled.

 _:It's me that needs the convincing. But, fine. First off, we have to see how he will accept us. Then we'll see if he likes talking to you. Okay?:_ Alex said carefully. Gemma agreed in full at that.

"Do we still plan to pick up the other recruit?" the drone asked John.

"Yes. We can still make good time with it, if we go now," he nodded.

"Okay, so, here's the next question," Garrus said to Shepard. "How are we getting out of here?"

"We can walk out like we own the place. Right?" Zaeed grinned.

"I think we can. Oh, where are Alex and Agatha?"

"Our Emperor and Empress are on the roof of this tower," the drone said.

"They're above us?! How in the hell did that ship do it?" Garrus asked.

"It evolved," the drone nodded. Thane was clearly trying to understand what was going on.

"Have you heard of the new race that's recently come about?" Shepard asked.

"I don't think so…" Thane frowned.

"Okay. We'll walk out with the scenic route, and I'll fill you in about them. It's important. Considering that there's likely…how many of you here?"

"Ten of us in this room right now. We could have destroyed the threat, but our Emperor said not to," the drone responded. Thane looked at it like it was joking.

"Ten of you?" the drell had to ask. Then he paused when the other drones simply uncloaked to show him. "I see…"

"Our Empress would like to look into your affliction. She may be able to help you," the drone said in a rather serious way. Now Thane was in complete disbelief.

"She can…cure…?!" the drell asked with a form of wary tension.

"We'll talk on the way back," Shepard said.

"Yes. Let's talk," Thane muttered out softly. Now that the drell was getting a slight history lesson of a new race, Alex was monitoring the drones on the blood removal from the dead asari. Other corpses were removed skillfully, and one asari Eclipse member was found knocked unconscious. She was going to be the first one to be used for the blood farm.

 _:My Emperor. Let my ship, Valhalla, house the blood.:_ Oceanus said calmly in the link.

 _:Why your ship?:_ Alex asked.

 _:Because it's fast. Like me. If someone finds out, I can get to safety. This way, Olympus is safe. It is best to spread out our resources. Just a bit.:_ he explained. Alex was skeptical before getting agreeable vibes from other Kings.

 _:Very true. Okay. Valhalla, start creating a factory. Let Hypnos direct the drones, if he needs to. Got it?:_ Alex ordered out to the ship.

 _:YES, MY EMPEROR. I SHALL DO AS YOU COMMAND.:_ the ship agreed. In the transport ship on top of the tower, Agatha was just a bit perplexed about a few things. Alex nudged her lightly.

"I'm just worried over things," she mumbled and rested against him.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Oh, like my missing part. Cronus trying to be a badass for no reason. Well, partly no reason, anyways. Gaining a proper foothold in this galaxy…" she named off a few things. He sighed and hugged her to him. He knew what she needed.

"We'll pay a visit to Aite as a bit of downtime after this other recruit. Okay?" he said.

"Zeus, we can't do that," she frowned. "I want to…but…"

"But what?" he frowned.

"We have too much shit to do now," she winced. He only nodded and ran a hand over her side. "We can't rest much less stop to take a shit."

"As if we could do that anyways," he grinned and got poked slightly.

"You know what I mean," she mumbled.

"I have an idea," Nick said. "You need some distractions. I don't think we brought any puzzles, but…we did bring this…"

"Hmm?" Alex glanced over. Then he grinned at the sight of the jar of dark chocolate body paint. That got Agatha blushing a bright crimson. "Thanks. Let me know when we get to our next destination."

"Of course, my Liege," Nick grinned.

"Going to make a meal out of me?" she teased.

"Only the parts I know I'm going to eat," he muttered and began to make quick use of it to shut her up. Zomok chittered a bit and looked out one of the windows as the ship jumped into the air and took off while still cloaked. The Olympus drone was monitoring the resources needed to maintain the cloaking, and it was very pleased. _The ship can easily stay cloaked for another full day, if it had to._ Now it directed the ship to follow where Shepard was being taken to next. The hive mind would wait patiently in the side-lines to help out their allies the moment they were called on.

* * *

 ***Author's Note***

 **Holy crap! Another chapter! It's been a bit slow at work, so I was able to do some extra time on the story. And, I fully revamped the original Prototype story! Anyways, here it is, enjoy, and another chapter is already in the works! Not sure when I'll get it out, but it's going! :D**


	37. Chapter 37

Shepard found himself walking up to a main informational building run mainly by asari. Garrus had decided to take his leave to berate his kids. They kept wanting to meet Thane. He was going to put the smack-down on quite a few of them. Thane easily took his place to help escort Shepard with Zaeed.

"So…" Zaeed started. Thane gave him a small glance. "How many people did ya kill?"

"Hmm…" Thane thought back. "Three hundred and seventy-one."

"Really? All bad?" Zaeed blinked his good eye.

"You could say that. A few of them…I killed on purpose," he admitted. "But…I'll get into that later. Not now."

"Fair enough. Maybe we can trade some stories!" he grinned. "I got the booze."

"We will see," Thane said and walked with Shepard. He surveyed the area calmly while they walked to the first building they approached. He also saw an asari guard watching over things, too, at the front desk. As he went to chat with the guard first, Alex was monitoring everything silently through the drones. At what he was starting to glean, his mate nudged him.

"We should join them," Agatha grinned lightly.

"Seriously?" he mused.

"We sat out on the last mission. I think we should join this one. Silus is entertaining Robert with Osiris and Isis. The other Kings are working with the ships. We should do something," she nodded. When Zomok chittered in a questioning way, she smiled. She knew it wanted to come along, too. "If not too many are around, we'll let you and Mr. Fluffster come out to play, too. Okay?"

It chittered with a happy form of excitement now. Even the Hunter was eager to play.

"Are you sure, my Empress?" Nick frowned.

"I think it's needed. Besides, I'm sure you're a bit bored, too," she chuckled.

"Never!" Nick grinned and glanced over at Spike. _The Hunter seemed a bit distracted._ "Is something wrong with you?"

It seemed to sigh, and a metal plate was handed over for it to tap on. _-Can sense. Other. Mad. Can't join. Feel bad.-_

"You can feel Evren?" Agatha frowned. Spike gave another sigh. "Oh…"

"Fuck…" Alex seemed to grown. He focused in on the link to reach Hypnos. _:Hey. Is Evren pissed off? Something?:_

 _:How did you know?:_ Hypnos asked with a bit of surprise.

 _:Spike sensed it. Why is it mad? I mean, Spike felt that it was pissed off, because it couldn't be here with us. Is that mainly it?:_

 _:Partially. Ask Spike if it feels that Evren is hungry.:_ Hypnos advised.

"Spike. Does Evren need to eat?" Alex asked out loud. The Hunter paused started to tap.

 _-Yes. Can give? Food?-_ it asked now.

 _:My children, Evren needs to eat. Please feed it a couple Hunters. And, think on this. If you all feed it, we have that much more possible armor to use. It was mentioned to Hypnos as a bit of a joke before, but I think it's fully warranted now.:_ Agatha chuckled. At the clamoring of agreements in the link, she then had another idea. _:See if thresher shedding is stronger than salarian armor. If it is, we can feed this to the ships.:_

 _:I am TOTALLY testing that!:_ Thanatos crowed with laughter. Alex was grinning from ear to ear and kissed his mate passionately. _It was an excellent idea. Not only a new way for profit, but we won't have to go to Mordin and his race for armors. That means owing them favors. We'll farm our own armor this way, and it goes with the meat production._

"Let's wait until Shepard comes back out. Then we'll talk with him," Alex said. He nibbled a bit of the chocolate off her neck that he missed and felt the ship land down carefully. It was still cloaked, and it was going to stay that way until they were ready to leave it.

"A justicar?" Shepard asked the officer at the door. "What's that?"

"You could say that it's an asari that gave up all of their worldly possessions to simply live and die by the code. Her code of conduct, which is our very law, is all that matters. It's every little girl's dream to become a justicar, but you don't just become one for any reason," the officer explained. "Justicars have been around for a millennia. I've read stories about them as a little girl, myself."

"I see. Anyways, where is Samara now?" he asked.

"She went to the space port. You can hail a cab to get there," she said. He nodded and walked out with Thane and Zaeed. The hidden viral ship was quick to follow them. When the cab landed, so did they, and it was done alongside one of the shuttle dock areas. They didn't want another ship to bump into them while in a cloaked state. When Shepard and the others got out of the cab, they easily sensed something was amiss.

There was, what appeared to be, a crime scene not far off. When Shepard went to investigate, he was told he didn't have clearance. He would have pulled Spectre ranking, but he had to talk to the main detective, anyways. As they walked into the main plaza that led up to the police station, there was a volus with two armed turian guards watching around him. Shepard paused in a slight bit of confusion. Another asari was following the trio quickly.

"Ah, you're not going anywhere," she grounded out.

"Excuse me?" the volus seemed to wheeze out in an irritated way. "I just want to leave and take my wares to another location. Like Omega. I had nothing to do with the murder."

"That was your business partner back there. You are a suspect. Until I solve this case, you aren't going anywhere," she growled. "Stay put."

"It's the asari thugs that did it, and you know it!" the volus growled.

"I don't care who did it. You are not leaving until I solve it. Got it?" she warned.

"But, that justicar may go crazy and start killing! I need to leave."

"Not until you are ruled out as a suspect, Pitne For. Besides, if you didn't do anything wrong, you'll have nothing to worry about. Right? Just stay here, or come find me in the station if something else happens," she said and walked off. The volus seemed to pout, but he stayed put with his guards. When Shepard walked over, the guards were wary, but they all knew that nothing would be done with the officers around.

"Olympus, park next to Shepard's craft. Remain hidden," Alex ordered the drone.

"Of course. Ah, may I also come with you on this mission?" the drone asked.

"Why?" Agatha asked.

"I may be useful. Also, Hypnos wanted to see how these would work from my ship flesh," the drone said with a small grin and exposed several rat-like creations that were injected with viral DNA. They looked a bit larger than the usual rat from it, and were quite hairless as a side effect. Alex rose a brow at this. "He was keeping it a surprise."

"How do they work?" Alex asked.

"Long-range spies for me," the Olympus drone chuckled.

"Hmm. Let them loose now," he grinned. A small hatch opened with a quick evolution for it, and the small animals skittered out carefully under Olympus's direct mental guidance.

"How do we tell where they went?" Nick had to ask.

"I will know. Also…" the drone said and gestured to an imbedded screen. It came to life with several video feeds from the released animals. Now Alex grinned wickedly.

"We can scope out everywhere before leaving," Agatha mused.

"That we can. Okay. Is this portable?" he asked, as he studied the screen.

"No, but I can tell you what they find. This screen lets us record what they see for evidence," the drone nodded. Nick was now a touch impressed. Spike seemed to sulk, but it was soothed with a caress from Agatha's tentacled hair. Zomok was glaring at the volus with the turian guards. It didn't trust him.

"If he touches us, you can eat him," Alex smirked. Zomok chirred with a form of agreement. One of the small creations was able to inch up to where Shepard was talking to the volus to get more information. On realizing that audio could also be gleaned, Alex was incredibly impressed.

"I don't trust that volus. Actually, I don't trust any of them," Agatha sniffed.

"If he fucks with us, we'll just track him down at his next location. Wait. Are those things also trackers?!" Alex grinned sadistically when one of the small mutations got into the volus's ship.

"You are correct," the Olympus drone grinned widely.

 _:Hypnos, you have outdone yourself with the rodent spies.:_ Alex nudged the King.

 _:Excuse me, my Emperor? What rodent spies?:_ he asked with confusion.

 _:You mean…you didn't give the ship I'm in a bunch of rats infused with our DNA to track and record conversations?:_ Alex frowned.

 _:I…did discuss with Olympus on the possibility…but…they were created?:_ Hypnos asked now. Alex sent over the information, and the King was stunned. _:My Emperor, as amazed as I am that it was a success, I can easily tell you that I did not give over any such creations. Did…did Olympus make them itself? If it did…:_

 _:Olympus. Explain yourself. Now.:_ he growled at the ship.

 _:I SAW AN OPPORTUNITY. I TOOK IT AND MADE IT HAPPEN. WOULD YOU HAVE NOT DONE THE SAME THING? GRANTED, KING HYPNOS DID NOT TRULY GIVE ME THE SPECIMENS, BUT IT WAS AN IDEA THAT DID NOT GET WORKED ON. I HAVE THE MEMORIES OF THE HIVE MIND. I WAS ABLE TO USE DRONES THAT WERE NOT ON TASKS. I WANTED TO HELP US GAIN AN UPPER HAND. WAS I WRONG TO DO SO?:_ the ship asked with a touch of worry.

 _:Okay. I see what you did. You did what I would have done. However, consult with us first before attempting such a thing. You took a gamble. It paid off. Also, you lied to me about Hypnos giving you these little fuckers. I'll let it slide. Just this once. Don't make this mistake again. Do not lie to me.:_ Alex warned the ship. A sensation of full agreement was given again. _:Hera and I helped create you and give you life. As much as I know you are doing everything you can to protect us, lying to us to prove something only proves nothing. Be up front with us from now on.:_

 _:YOU HAVE MY VOW. SHALL I CREATE MORE OF THESE CREATIONS?:_ Olympus asked.

 _:Yes. However, I want you to show Hypnos how you did it. So, Hypnos, get on this. Maybe expand the inventory with a bit of flight?:_ Alex chuckled.

 _:Birds?! Oh, I'll get on this right now!:_ Hypnos laughed and dropped from the link. Agatha was in a bit of shock at what she heard in the link. It actually worried her a touch, if the ship was starting to take certain tasks on its own accord. But, she also knew that the ship truly did want to help in other ways.

 _:I know, Hera.:_ Alex nudged her in their own private link. _:I took care of it.:_

 _:If it gets to be too strong…:_ she fretted a bit.

 _:No. It acted out like I did with the fucking serum. So, I let it slide this one time. I can relate. It won't happen again. I know this.:_ he nodded to her and kissed her softly. She smiled and nodded back with full understanding of that situation. With this little surprise out of the way, Alex refocused on what Shepard was doing. On learning that the little fat volus was clearly only out for himself, it did make Alex wonder if there was anything to gain from it. He would ensure the merchant was kept under very close watch until all of this was over.

"Now…that's interesting," Agatha mused at a piece of conversation. "Red sand?"

"Hmm. Oh. Shepard's memories entail that it's modified sand from Mars. Gives humans a biotic boost trip. A few other races, too. Asari seem immune to it. Other drugs can give off this biotic euphoria, too. It's illegal to sell, but…" Alex now seemed to grin. "I bet we can use it as bait on some merchant ships in uncharted areas."

"Let Lelantos know," she grinned back and got kissed. With them making new plans to acquire some of this illegal substance, Shepard was getting a breakdown from Detective Anaya in the police station. None of it seemed good.

"If you can get Samara out of my hands, then you're welcome to it. Just remember. She'll kill anyone that gets in the way of her code. Which is our main laws," the purple-skinned detective warned. "She'll even kill me, if I get in the way."

"An innocent? Really?" Shepard frowned.

"It's the way it works with them. Justicars. They're like…your version of a warrior monk. They gave up everything and simply live to serve the code. Of course, she owns armor and weapons, but Samara is older than all of our life spans put together. She knows what she's doing," the asari cop explained. "As long as you don't do anything wrong, she won't kill you. Force her to do something else, and she'll kill you as a badge of honor for defending the Justicar Code."

"You really seem like you want her gone," he mused.

"Well, my bosses want me to detain her. They're worried she'll cause some kind of a cross-species incident. So, I can only do what I can."

"Then don't do it," he shrugged. "If your life is on the line, then why bother?"

"Don't follow the orders if our lives are at risk? Huh. If that's the case, can we opt in for that?" Zaeed grinned. Thane chuckled slightly, but he was paying close attention.

"Sure. Then you have to chalk it up with our other friends," Shepard smirked back at him. That got Zaeed to cough and glance around nervously. Thane was easily following suit. Turning back to the detective, he said, "Okay. So, where do I find Samara?"

"I follow the orders, because it's my job. Also, you need to be careful. I know there are Eclipse mercenaries here. The way that volus was murdered…it was a professional hit. You need to be on guard when you go back into some of these allies. I'm still looking for their nest to wipe them out. Anyways, I'll send word to let you into the crime scene. The guards will let you in," she nodded. He nodded back and rose up to leave. As he was about to leave, he paused to look at her.

"Ah, I might have some other friends of mine drop in. Call it a hunch. Would they be allowed to accompany me?" he asked. The detective frowned in thought.

"Well, since you are trying to get the justicar to leave…very well. I'll inform the guards," she nodded and started to make that call. Just as John walked out of the building with Zaeed and Thane, the viral ship came into view from the dropped cloaking. Alex walked out with Agatha riding on Spike's back. Zomok chittered and hissed at the volus in the distance.

"Zomok. No," Agatha warned. She said it loud enough to show she had it under control. The volus was now a bit more nervous than usual. He recognized the viral couple. He wasn't sure how high up they were, but they looked important. He decided to act cool and keep to himself for now. As they approached Shepard, Thane paused with complete shock at the sight of them. This was his first time meeting the Emperor and Empress. The usual drone honor guard was with them, too, to protect them.

"I figured you'd show up for this round," John sighed.

"Of course. Hello, Thane. We'll chat soon about your condition. My mate, Agatha, believes she can help you with her blood. She and I are the leaders of the viral hive mind. Emperor and Empress, in a sense. Anyways, I'm ready to fuck up something," Alex grinned. As the group walked over to the crime scene, the guards only stared at Zomok with a form of horror.

"Don't worry. It's tame. Unless I'm under attack. See?" Agatha chuckled and let Zomok croon before rubbing against her with a form of joy. "It's another form of guard."

"Where are the others you usually have with you? The Kings?" John asked, as they continued to walk towards the area where Samara was.

"I told them to try and give the ships bigger teeth. We think thresher shedding may be tougher than salarian armor," Alex snickered. John rose a brow at him with the idea.

"You think so?" he had to ask.

"It's being tested as we speak," Agatha nodded elegantly. When they cleared the area with all the official personelle, Alex now looked around.

"Okay. Show yourselves. Start hunting. When we find the target, cloak again. Go," Alex commanded. Twenty drones now revealed themselves and sped off to search. Thane was in complete shock all over again. _I didn't even know they were there…_

"Are you well, Thane?" Agatha frowned at him.

"Oh. I've never…experienced this before. That's all," he started. Then he paused at how her hair became tentacles to gently squeeze his form with a soft bit of knowing.

"You'll be fine," she smiled and nodded. "Come. We have a mission to help with. Don't we?"

"What…are you?" he asked with a form of wonder.

"I'm Alex's antivirus. I'm sure John told you much?" she chuckled and retracted her hair. "Oh. Don't get too interested in me. I have a daughter that clearly shows a form of interest in you."

"What?" Thane blinked.

"We'll chat later," Alex said calmly. "And you had to tell him about Gemma?"

"Why not?" she laughed softly and let Spike carry her on further. _:I'm just planting a seed to let it take root. That's all I did.:_

 _:Well, if he goes after you instead of Gemma, then I'll have to kill him.:_ he snorted.

 _:I doubt that.:_ she soothed him gently. Alex only sighed, but then his attention was caught at what was found. He gave a mental command, and they started to move.

"What's going on?" John asked, as he started to run to catch up.

"Found her. She's killing things rather effortlessly. I'm impressed," Alex chuckled while he ran. When they got to the scene of the fight, one of the asari thugs was already being thrown through the air to slam against a wall. The leader of the squad was just in too much shock.

"Those were my best people…" she shivered.

"Tell me what I need to know, Lieutenant, and then I will leave," the blue-skinned asari in the near skin-tight red suit said calmly. From what John's memories were about asari, this female was clearly a pureblood. Her form pulsed with biotic energy, and now Alex was studying how it was done rather intensely. _I think I can do that. My body already shoots out blue sparks._

"I can't tell you!" the panicking asari mercenary whimpered. "I've done nothing to you, Justicar!"

"Tell me. Or you will die," the older asari female said. Then she simply picked up the asari mercenary with barely a thought with her natural biotics before flinging her away. She jumped down and floated to land soundlessly on her feet like the most graceful of cats.

"I like that technique. I did something similar before," Alex mused when he remembered how he approached Agatha on the dance floor.

"Shall we try to get a drop of blood?" Nick asked. John looked at them like they were joking.

"All in due time," Agatha nodded slightly. To the others, that small nod meant nothing. To the viral mind, it was an order to collect it as soon as possible.

"Tell me the name of the ship," the justicar said again and put her foot right over the neck of the other asari. "Your life is nearly at an end."

"Go to Hell!" she spat. With that said, a quick twist of the boot was all that she did to snap the trapped neck. Then she turned and regarded the group that watched the whole thing.

"My name is Samara. I am a servant of the Justicar Code. My quarrel is mainly with the Eclipse sisters, but I see…a group of interesting individuals, as well as well-armed people, before me. Are we friend? Or foe?" Samara asked. John glanced at Alex to stand back.

"That merc was wounded, helpless, and unarmed. Do you always kill like that?" John frowned.

"If my cause is just with the code, yes. Why? Are you any different?" she asked.

"I do kill my enemies, but only if it's warranted with just reason," he said.

"My code is what I answer to. It is clearly defined. If my actions are true to that code, then I am just. If they are not, then I am unjust. Such is how it is," she seemed to say in an unwavering tone. "I know that it may not seem right to everyone, but I still sleep well at night. That is more than most can say."

"I can agree to that," Alex nodded. Now she looked at him oddly.

"And who are you?" she asked.

"A new race. Not sure if you've heard about us yet. We are still learning the ways of this place. Ins and outs sort of thing. We accompany Shepard, because he found us. We lend him our strength," Alex said calmly. Samara detected no lies at all.

"We were created by humans. We are also shunned by them. Much like the quarians and the Geth," Agatha frowned softly. "We try to mean well…but some don't like how we are trying to fit in."

"Is that so?" Samara asked. "How do you assist?"

"We get shit done," Alex said. "Anyone that is a friend of Shepard's can ask for our help. We are becoming mercenaries for a fee. We don't kill what we think isn't fair. We don't cheat our clients, unless they ask for it, and we gather information. Lots of information. I heard you were looking for the name of a ship?"

"Yes. I am looking for a murderer. One of a mass murdering kind," Samara nodded. Then she looked at Shepard. "And what of you?"

"I need to recruit you for suicide mission. You're the best of the best. I really need you on my team," Shepard said. At this, the justicar studied him silently.

"I sense truth in all angles. It humbles me. But, before I can do anything, I must track down the murderer first. My code will not allow me to stray from it," she said. "I cornered her here, but the Eclipse sisters smuggled her off-world. I need to find the name of the ship to continue my chase. Before the trail goes cold."

"Why don't we just get you the name of the ship? Then we can all find this fucker and put an end to her?" Alex asked with a small shrug.

"If you get me the name of the ship, I will join you," Samara nodded. They looked over when the detective came over.

"I need her at the station under my watch," the asari said. "I've been ordered to take you into custody if you don't leave, Justicar."

"You risk a great deal to follow your orders, Detective. Fortunately, I will not disappoint you. I will not resist. You have one day to hold me before my code allows me to remove all obstacles in my way. By any means necessary," Samara said lightly.

"A day? Done. Shepard, let's go," Alex nodded. "We'll have it down within an hour. Tops."

"Wait…do I know you?" the detective said. She paused at the sight of Zomok, but, until it proved to be hostile, she would leave it alone.

"If you watch the live feeds, then you should know that we are the viral race that's been popping up. We are also supplying places with thresher maw flesh," Agatha chuckled. "Don't worry. We are only here to travel with Shepard and lend our support."

"I see…" the asari grimaced. She knew all too well about them from what news she was getting. "You don't plan to destroy the place, right?"

"Nah. If anything, we may take a nuisance off your hands. The Eclipse has to end soon, right?" Alex grinned a bit wickedly. "Don't worry about paperwork. This place will become much easier to watch over by the time we leave."

"Right. Just…bring me some form of proof after you clean out the rats," Detective Anaya sighed. "I'm all for the extra help, but…don't think I owe you a favor."

"Don't worry. We do this shit for fun. And it's free," Alex grinned again. "If all goes well, and you get a bit of a vacation, feel free to come by my main ship, Olympus. We'll set you up with a celebrity room and board. Including spending credits."

"The reservation is now made and can be used whenever you're ready," the Olympus drone nodded. It was the ship, after all, and easily set up the room with some drones. "Luxury suite."

"Is this a bribe?" she glowered.

"No," Agatha chuckled. "You've been working too hard. I can tell. It is merely a gesture of hospitality to show what we are trying to be. We are offering a place of relaxation, and even recruitment, should you need the extra help. It's all up to you, should you come by."

"And, if you need the extra help, I can easily let a few of my boys do a few things for free," Alex shrugged. "That's not an issue at all."

"Oh. Well…we'll see," she said lightly.

"Just drop our names. Alex and Agatha. We are the Emperor and Empress of the hive mind. The leaders in the flesh," Alex chuckled. Now the asari woman seemed to pale, but she came to easily. Now John cleared his throat.

"So, do we have an agreement?" he asked.

"Yes. You find the name of the ship while I am in custody. If you do this, then the Code will be satisfied. I will go with you," she nodded. "If I stay, I will be forced to kill many innocents to escape my incarceration. I would prefer to leave quietly and peacefully enough."

"Yeah. She would have to kill me," the detective sighed.

"I cannot let my quarry go and continue to keep murdering others. I have sworn my life to track her down and end her life. If I survive your mission, I can go back to resume my own investigation," she further said calmly.

"I say we find the name of the ship, track the bitch down, and kill her. Done," Alex snorted. "We may even be able to get her while working on our mission. It can happen."

"That would be a pleasing thing to do," Samara agreed.

"But…if your cause is complete, then what will you do after that?" Shepard frowned.

"I shall continue to live and serve the Justicar Code," she responded. After that, she nodded to show she would wait for them in the police station. The detective nodded to them all and left with Samara. When they were gone, and out of earshot from what they knew, the justicar looked at the official leading her away.

"Would you really take up their offer?" Samara asked the detective. "For a place to relax?"

"If they get you off my hands, then I just might. Hell, by then, I'll probably need it," she said with a thoughtful tone. The drones heard this bit easily to relay the news. Agatha would easily ensure that the detective would have a wonderful time if she visited them.

"All right. Where do we go from here?" Shepard asked the others.

"Something tells me that the volus, Pitne For, has something. He comes here all the time to do trades. I'm sure that my hunch is right," Agatha mused. "It must also be why Zomok doesn't like him."

It chirred and growled a bit with agreement. Alex mused and made a mental order to the drones.

 _:The little fat fuck. Corner him. Don't let him leave.:_ he snickered. The drones were all over it.

"He did sound a bit nervous. And he did say that his ex-partner did drug deals with them. Yeah. Let's go pay him a visit," Shepard nodded. They made their way back and found the turian guards knocked out from the drones. Alex grew out his claws and charged his way over to him.

"The Eclipse base. Where is it? You tell me. You live. Got it?" he spat out. Now that his life was in danger, the volus gave over the information easily. Thane was now thinking rather hard.

"Thane?" Zaeed frowned.

"Just thinking," the drell said lightly. "A rather swift way to get what's needed."

"That's Alex for you," Agatha sighed. Now her mate looked at her oddly to get her laughing.

"Well, we have the information. Let's go play with some mercs," Alex said with a grin. "And don't let that fat fuck leave! He waits until the investigation is done."

"Yes, my Emperor," a lesser drone of Nick nodded. Now Pitne For knew he was in dire straits for sure on learning that he was just interrogated by the leaders of the viral hive. He had no choice but to wait and hope they learned nothing about him.

They got back into an alley and found an abandoned building. At least, it should have been abandoned. When a door opened with Pitne For's code, they found no one in there. At first. As they walked in, there was gunfire all around them.

"Shepard, please use caution. There is a chemical compound that will boost biotics, but do not linger in the clouds for intense exposure. It will cause severe tissue damage. I would strongly recommend limited exposure," EDI said through his communicator.

"Roger that!" he acknowledged.

"Must be the dust?" Agatha frowned.

"Possibly…" Alex mused. _:Let's pick some up while we're here. Get a move on.:_

The drones were quick to act. Much to his pleasing surprise, the drones were immune to the drug. _Then again, we're immune to almost everything._ When they cleared the main room, they heard whimpering just inside the door. They walked in to survey the area calmly, yet ready for any form of action. Then a cloaked drone materialized and held a viral blade up to the hiding asari's neck.

"Don't move. Or you die," it said in a flat, monotone voice.

"Ah! I…" she gasped.

"You're an Eclipse member?" John frowned when she was forced to stand. A gun was kicked out of her reach and claimed by another drone. Then another gun that was attached to her belt from behind her was removed and tossed aside to keep her from doing anything too irrational.

"I…I'm new here!" she said quickly. "I just…joined up for the thrill! I didn't know they did drug deals and stuff…"

"Really? So…" Alex said calmly and walked up to her. Zomok growled even more. Spike gave out a bone-chilling hiss. Then it started to tap out on the metal ground.

 _-Lies. All lies.-_ it growled.

"Prove it. Give us a drop of blood," Agatha said.

"Blood?" Thane asked.

"Of course. A drop of blood gives us all of their memories up to now. If she's really telling the truth, then her blood will tell us. Now, if she doesn't give over the blood…then she's a lying bitch," Agatha nodded to show she meant every word.

"I…no!" the asari growled and tried to break free. Now Agatha's hair came alive and snatched up the asari. At the constricting motions given, the blood was neatly obtained.

"Tendrils of death…they catch and hold still…" Thane whispered.

"She was the one that murdered the volus," Kim said from the gleaned memories.

"Really? Interesting. I guess you had to pass initiation somehow, eh?" Alex smirked. Now he looked at John. "Do we turn her in? Or can I keep her?"

"She murdered someone. She has to go in," John nodded.

"Fine. Vials of blood first. Then knock her ass out and deliver her with a note," Alex said to the waiting drones. When the asari tried to use her biotics, Agatha's tendrils did something that even surprised herself. They absorbed the biotic attack.

"What just happened?" Zaeed blinked his good eye. He saw the blue biotic essence get absorbed into the tendrils. Then the absorption seemed to flow down into Agatha directly like electric cables plugged into a power source. Thane kept falling into shock at what he was witnessing.

"I…hmm…" Agatha mused. "I know I got a shot of advanced biotic DNA, too. After my eggs were birthed. I never bothered to try and do anything. But…if I can absorb biotic attacks…ah! Alex! Come here. I may make you very, very happy."

"You do that, anyways, but sure," he grinned and moved to her side.

"Touch my hair," she chuckled and gave him a soft kiss. He nodded and let his hands move to run through the tentacles. Then he paused. _She just gave me a solid boost of biotic power!_

"Holy shit! You gave me her power?!" Alex said with complete surprise.

"Apparently, I can transfer it. Not much, but I'll have to work with it. I suppose I can be a bit of a portable battery this way. Think you can use what I gave you on something?" she winked. The asari was stunned and soon knocked out.

"Wait. What did you do?" John asked.

"Touch my hair," she said. He paused at this, but he soon found himself doing just that. A blue glow seemed to envelope his form when the temporary biotic power flooded his senses.

"Wow…" he blinked.

"I'm sure the enhancement will wear off after a few minutes, or even seconds if you push yourself to the limits, but it should give you a small edge when you use it. I'll need to work on this for sure," she giggled. Alex gave an intimate smile to his mate, and he knew he'd be running his hands through her hair even more after this.

 _:I love you.:_ he chuckled at her.

 _:I love you, too.:_ she gave him a mental kiss before urging Spike to move forward. They made their way through another set of hallways with oddly spaced rooms. Each one was filled with other Eclipse asari mercs, and they were quickly dispatched. When one tried to use her biotics against them, Agatha was quick to use her hair to dart over and suck out their power. When the other asari saw what was happening, they tried to target Agatha. Then her drone entourage was allowed to play.

John paused with a form of horrific awe at the sight of the drone entourage at work. _They were truly the elite set of drones. Every attack they did was perfectly coordinated._ The Olympus drone had Alex's attack to pin others to the walls with viral mucus. Alex was quite pleased at that. _It made them easier to pick up without a fight._ When Robin spun around with its hammers out, Alex could only laugh with a form of complete amusement at the asari that tried to stupidly charge into it with her biotics out only to get smacked straight through a steel wall.

"Kill…me…" she whispered when Kim stalked over to the downed asari.

"No. You will have a far worse fate for attacking our Empress!" the drone hissed and knocked her out. "Aden. Blood bank."

"Done," the drone nodded and let another drone carry her off.

"Shepard," Thane said and walked over to him once the fight was done.

"Yeah?" he asked and kept his eyes open for any stray mercenaries.

"These viral people…they help others in need?" the drell asked.

"They can. Why? I can help you, too, you know," he chuckled.

"I know. When this is over, we all need to chat," Thane said and quickly shot down an asari that tried to get too close for comfort.

"We can chat on the run," Agatha chuckled and let her hair give them both a healthy dose of biotic power. Thane looked over at her with a soft chuckle.

"I will get distracted. Let us wait," he nodded. She nodded back, and they moved forward through the cleared areas. The next hallway lead to a small food shop and another room, but, what stumbled out of the room, was a volus that was quite apparently under some form of intoxication.

"Behold!" the volus said with a wobbly walk. "I am a biotic god! I think things…and they happen! Fear me, lesser creatures!"

"Um…are you drugged?" Alex asked. "Yeah. I think you're drugged."

"I most definitely am not!" the volus argued. "I, Niftu Cal, am your new god!"

"Hmm. I'd try and drain him, but I don't think that drug-induced biotics would be very potent," Agatha frowned. "What do you think?"

"Don't do it," Nick said with disgust. Then Alex bit his cheek to keep from outright laughing at what the drone mumbled out next. "Drugged up, lard-filled fucker…"

"Yeah. I agree," Shepard said with his own small smirk and looked at the doped up volus. "You've clearly been drugged."

"I have not!" Niftu argued. "Yes, the asari did inject many drugs into me, and it was terrifying. But, now I see that I am more than what I was! Biotics made flesh! And, with my new powers, I will charge into the next room where the Eclipse leader is, and I'll make Wasea beg for mercy!"

"Is he part of Pitne For's group?" Nick asked.

"I used to work for that mortal fool. He's likely terrified that I have not yet returned," Niftu bragged. At this, Alex bit back a laugh.

"I didn't see any reports that you were gone, eh?" Zaeed smirked.

"Likely to keep from getting delayed on his flight out," Thane sighed. "He values money more than friends. Maybe as much as his own life. Possibly."

"Whatever!" Niftu shouted out. "I will wreak just revenge on his people! All in due time, mark my words. Then I'll conquer the rest of the galaxy!"

"Go take a nap," Shepard said lightly. "It's only obvious that Wasea will tear you apart."

"I never need sleep! And me? Killed by Wasea? Ha! I -!" he got shoved by Shepard now to stumble. Now he found a complete change take him over, as he wobbled away to flop on the ground. "I'm a…biotic god…wait. What? What was I saying? I…yes. A nap. I'm tired. I'll take over the world…and the galaxy…later…"

"Makes me wish I brought a tub of popcorn. Maybe we can experiment with Harkin," Alex mused with a small grin. That got Shepard coughing from holding back the hard laugh. "At least we know the bitch of them all is next door. Shall we?"

"Oh…did you get the name of the ship from any of the asari?" John asked, as they walked into the next room. "I thought you would have."

"Yeah. We have it. But…while we're here…" Alex chuckled.

"Can I have the name for Samara?" he asked.

"I'll give it to you. As long as we can still fuck that bitch up," Alex said.

"Well, as you said, we are already here. I'm sure we'll get a data pad as proof, too," he nodded.

"It's the AML Demeter. But…we do need a hardcopy. Don't we?" Alex shrugged. When they walked into the main headquarter chamber, they saw an asari with blue skin and red markings on her face. She was reading off a data pad, and it was the same one that they needed. She drank down her last glass of booze and looked over at them while saying, "You know…everything's just gone to Hell since we smuggled off that filthy creature. And now you all barge in after that justicar shows up…"

"Want this to be easy? Or a challenge?" Agatha asked.

"Well, if we want Samara off this world to save more lives…eh. Easy," John chuckled.

"Done," she nodded and let her hair latch onto the charging asari.

"What the-?!" Wasea gasped and screamed when her current biotic powers got stripped from her.

"We need to keep this one," Alex said. "We gave over the last one. This one is ours."

"Okay. Make it look like her body got caught in an explosion. Done," Zaeed snickered.

"Get a few syringes of her blood and paint up the place. Make sure we take everything we need from this room for us, too," Alex ordered.

 _:Zeus. Touch me. Please…:_ Agatha seemed to whimper. _:She's…very strong…:_

"Shit!" he hissed and moved to start taking off the excess charge. "In time, you'll get stronger. You'll be able to hold more. Eh, Shepard, touch her hair. She's getting overloaded."

"She is?!" John blinked. Now Wasea was catching on to this and began to focus. What she didn't expect was for the other drones in the room to suddenly materialize and take the excess burden. That relieved Agatha intensely, and Wasea was now in a critical mess from lack of biotic strength. Once she was thoroughly drained, it was easy to knock her out and strap her down for transport. The drones were quick to take their new blood bank away securely.

"An idea," Thane said. "In the future, try making shields and such to spend what excess you don't need. Think it will help?"

"We will definitely attempt it," Alex chuckled.

"My Empress, I believe I can create a series of specialized batteries just for you to help contain the excess amount. I'm not sure if other drones can work, but it may help if something goes wrong. Would this be feasible?" the Olympus drone asked. Alex rose a brow at this and nodded his approval.

"Yes. We'll attempt it. I need to work on this more, it seems," Agatha sighed.

"My Emperor. I found something," Eddie said.

"Hmm?" Alex looked over. At another data pad handed over, he glanced at it. Then he grinned wickedly. "Shepard. I'll give this to you."

"Oh?" he asked and took it. "Hmm. Pitne For's ship manifest. Oh, look. He smuggles red sand. And other things…"

"Can we kill him?" Robin asked.

"No. We will turn him in to the authorities," John said.

"They are far too greedy for their own good," Agatha sniffed.

"The volus are, as you would say, a necessary evil," Thane said while they walked back.

"Oh?" she asked him.

"The volus gave us the ability to have a credit system. For purchasing and producing goods. If it wasn't for them, I'm not sure how this galaxy would be," he said.

"Well…are there any honest volus out there?" she had to ask.

"That's like asking if Garrus will ever take that stick out of his ass," Zaeed snickered.

"Shall we tell him you said that?" Nick grinned.

"Ah…no?" he said to get them all laughing.

"Oh, the stick isn't there. Trust me. I know," Agatha grinned rather wickedly.

"I didn't need to know that!" Zaeed groaned.

"Why not? He's using it to beat up his kids with," she laughed softly. Alex just shook his head and ran a hand over his face.

"I don't need that visual! Come on!" the ex-mercenary groaned again. As they continued to walk, Alex suddenly turned to Shepard to gesture close.

"How would you like some intricate spies? Other than the drones?" he asked.

"I'm listening," John nodded. He now learned about the rodent spies. He was amazed. "Can we test them out?"

"Already doing that. Hey! What are you doing to my ship?!" Alex growled at a couple asari officials. The ship was in a bit of a defensive posture with several tentacles trying to keep the asari back in a rather gentle manner.

"This is a ship?!" the first one blinked.

"Yeah. I'm the Emperor of the viral mind. I was just helping take care of your little Eclipse problem. They're gone now. You're welcome. Now get away from my ship!" he snapped.

"I'm a Council Spectre. He works with me," John said lightly. Now the asari officials backed down. At the sight of the detective walking out, Alex crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"They were harassing my ship. For no reason," Alex stated.

"Is this true?" she asked.

"And, before they say anything, there are cameras that record around the ship," the Olympus drone said. A video of what happened was now sent over to Anaya. Now she turned to look at the two guilty officials. The video showed them actively joking around and poking at the ship to see what it would do. The ship was trying to deter them away gently.

"You two. Inside. Get some paperwork done, since you're both so bored. I'm hoping you have good news?" she asked. John nodded and gestured to walk.

"I'll talk to the volus," Alex muttered.

"Why?" John asked.

"He may pay to keep his manifest. I wanna…toughen the deal," he grinned wickedly.

"He should be arrested," John muttered under his breath.

"If he doesn't go my way, then he will be," Alex smirked.

"Well…working for you would be considered a form of just punishment. Be my guest," John cracked a small grin, handed over the manifest, and followed the detective inside. "But…if you do come across something interesting in his shipments…"

"I get ya," Alex chuckled and nodded. Now he walked up to the volus waiting with his drones. Agatha was right there with Spike. Zomok gave another growl.

"Easy," she chuckled and watched her mate calmly.

"Hi. I have something that belongs to you. However, because of the contents you currently have, I have a problem. I should turn you in. But, if you work for me, then we'll come to an arrangement," Alex said calmly to Pitne For.

"What?" the volus blinked the glowing eyes of his suit.

"You heard me. I become your employer. You work for me. If you don't, you go to jail. You know? For smuggling red sand? And other narcotics? Even illegal weapons tech?" he asked in a rather sarcastic way.

"Well…what would I be doing?" he asked.

"We are running baited cargo ships. You have a pretty good routine already. So, we'll let you keep your profits. However, we will putting some merchandise on your ship to attract unwanted people. We take them out, your goods are safe, and our goods are used as more bait," Alex explained carefully.

"And if…well…someone wants to purchase your products?" Pitne asked.

"It depends on the product," Agatha said when Spike brought her over. "and, if you try to steal anything from us, we will know. We will _always_ know. Then you will be punished most severely. But, when it comes to our products, they will make the deal through us. Not you. Maybe, if you do well enough, we'll give you a cut of the profit."

"We can give you a salary on top of your own profit. For each successful run you do, I can see about a small bonus being added on the side," Alex nodded.

"Oh! Well…that does seem reasonable…" Pitne seemed a bit excited now at the concept of more profit. "When would I start?"

"Right now. We are tripling your amount of red sand, so you know. And it's highly concentrated. Straight from the labs of the Eclipse sisters. One of my boys will be in the inventory room of your ship. My boys don't sleep or eat. Or shit. They will also defend your ship if anything gets in it. Now, if you go on your ship, it will start. Here's your manifest," Alex said and handed it over. "Just remember. Myself and my mate are the leaders of the hive mind. You just agreed to work with us directly. This could be a life-long contract. Don't fuck us over. You won't live past five minutes to regret your mistake."

"Of course…" the volus said and quickly moved out. The turian guards he had were already on his ship and recovering from their concussions.

"Shall we go inside?" Agatha chuckled and let her mate lead Spike into the building. "Ah, Zomok? My dear, you need to wait in the ship. Olympus will be with you."

Zomok seemed to chirr with worry, but it understood. The Olympus drone nodded and let Zomok follow it back into the small ship. Alex and Agatha moved into the building right after that, and they found Shepard giving over the information of the ship name.

"I am impressed. You kept your part of the bargain. Therefore, I will fulfill mine," Samara said from where she was sitting on a ledge next to Anaya's desk. She jumped off of it and looked at the detective. "I am ready to leave immediately. You can inform your superiors."

"Thanks. You can go," the asari nodded. "It has been an honor having you in my station. And I'm grateful that you didn't have to kill me, too."

"So, from what I was reading," Shepard said. "The murderer you're looking for is called an Ardat-Yakshi. What sort of person is that?"

"Yes. She is a very dangerous criminal. I must bring her to justice," Samara nodded. "I will tell you more about what an Ardat-Yakshi is when I get settled on your ship. However, before we leave, I must be sworn to your service, so that I am never forced to choose between your orders and the Code."

"Oh? Very well," Shepard nodded. Alex and Agatha glanced at each other, but they remained silent witnesses to this likely rare event.

Samara knelt down in front of Shepard with glowing white eyes and seemed to chant out, "By the Code, I will serve you, Shepard. Your choices are my choices, your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code."

When she rose back up, her body pulsed with a rather intense, biotic white light to show it was in effect. Anaya was clearly amazed at what she witnessed. "Never saw a code like that before."

"Just to inform you, if you force me to do anything dishonorable, I may need to kill you when released from my oath," she said calmly. "I do look forward to serving with a company of honorable heroes."

"I doubt that will happen, but we'll talk more on the ship. And, thank you for doing this. I can tell this is a rather important thing for you. Did you need anything more from me, Detective?" John asked her when she sat at her desk.

"Well…thanks for getting Samara out of my district. At least now I have higher chances of getting grandchildren, and I can tell them that I met a justicar and lived," she said with a touch of amusement. Then she paused when Shepard gave over a document that showed that Eclipse killed the volus merchant in her district. "Oh. And the murderer?"

"There's your proof it was Eclipse. And…we did deliver her to you," Alex nodded.

"That you did. I'm glad she's behind bars. Of course, she claims her innocence," the detective sighed. "At the same time, it could all be admissible, too."

"I vouch for Shepard, as well as his companions, and any evidence he brings forward," Samara nodded. Alex rose a brow and gave a small nod of respect to her. Agatha beamed softly in gratitude.

"Okay. I can take the statement of a justicar. That will work nicely," Anaya nodded back. "What of the leader of the Eclipse?"

"She died trying to protect the knowledge of the ship," Alex shrugged. "Self-defense on killing her. She tried to rush us."

"At least the Eclipse is gone for a long time," Anaya seemed to smile wryly. "Thanks."

"Alex? Agatha? Do you plan to join us, too? Or do you need to do things on Olympus?" John asked. "I never know what your schedules are anymore."

"Do you need us to do anything? Oh, wait. Robert is still in the marketplace with Silus. Okay. Agatha promised him a female. She needs Robert to fuck her to get that going. It would be at least a day. Did you need anything right now?" Alex asked.

"Not right this minute. It's fine. It will give my two new recruits time to settle in. Later tonight, you think?" Shepard asked, as they walked out of the building.

"That works! I'll go pick up my people, and we'll see what else we get to fuck up to make better," he grinned. Shepard nodded, and they parted ways to start settling in and decide what was next on the list. He knew Thane wanted to talk to him about something. He also wanted more information from Samara about the person she was hunting down. He'd get them both settled in first. Then he'd see about finding some answers.


	38. Chapter 38

He gave Samara the observation deck, and Thane was given the area near the life support plant on the crew deck for its arid environment. As they were getting ready to leave, he got a small message from Liara. Sighing, he checked the time. _Nightfall. I need to check in with her. I said I would, too._

"Hey," Shepard called out for a drone to appear. "Liara needs me to look at something. I said I'd visit her. Not sure if any of you wanted to tag along."

"Our Emperor and Empress are still on Ilium. They will join you," the lesser drone of Eddie nodded. Then John remembered that they were completing business on Ilium. He made his way to the docking bay to step out.

"Hey. Where the fuck are you going?" Jack asked.

"Paying a visit to Liara," he said.

"I'm bored as fuck. Can I tag along?" she asked.

"Sure," John chuckled. Then he turned to see Samara walking over.

"I feel I must join you," she said. "It will be important."

"Oh. Okay," he nodded. "Any reason?"

"I hope to show my other sisters that the Code must not be ignored. There are many out there that still try to defile the Code," she said lightly.

"As you say," John nodded and led them out to the main crossway of the city.

"John!" Agatha chuckled and walked over with Alex on her arm. "Come. Let's see Liara."

"Good," he chuckled and nodded to Alex. Robert was walking over with Osiris and Isis with them. As they approached Liara's apartment complex, several drones quickly unveiled themselves.

"Liara may be under threat," a lesser drone of Kim said.

"She is safe, but the one who wishes her harm is still here," a lesser drone of Aden said. "We are trying to find out more information."

"Oh, dear," Agatha frowned. _:Find the attacker. Now.:_

 _:Liara is an ally. A small sister to us. Find the fucker.:_ Alex growled in the link.

"We'll get our answers when we find her," John muttered. Jack rose a brow, but she was wary, too. Samara remained calm and collect. She was used to being calm under the pressure of chaos around her. An asari cop was stationed near the main entrance of the apartment, and she stopped them all from getting too close. Now Agatha averted her attention to the back of the room where a blue-skinned asari woman was in silver and blue armor. She had red markings on her face, but Shepard blinked at her.

"You cops are dismissed," the woman said with a rather regal air.

"You can't tell us to leave!" the asari cop said. Her turian partner looked over with surprise.

"I just did," she smirked and waved her hand at them. The cops there scoffed at her and left.

"And…you are?" Shepard frowned.

"Tela Vasir. Special Tactics and Recon," the asari woman said with a small nod.

"Oh. You're a Spectre," John said with a touch of surprise.

"If it's a bitch, I want her," Alex grunted softly in his ear.

"No," John warned with a wry smile.

"Excuse me?" Tela asked.

"I just find it odd that you're here right after an attack on a friend of his. And this gal is also a friend of ours," Alex said with a small glare. "You have heard of me and my family. Right?"

"Maybe," she said. Agatha caught the nervous twitch.

"She has," Agatha chuckled. "Well, if you just arrived…"

"Maybe her blood can tell us?" Osiris mused.

"Not necessary," John said quickly. "If she's a Spectre, I'm sure she has good reason to be here."

"I still don't trust her," Alex snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "But, what the fuck ever. If you want to give her a chance, then fine. But I won't. The moment she fucks up, my claws will do the talking."

"Alex…" John sighed.

"Sorry, I just don't trust her. Something seems off. I've killed a fuckload of people with her attitude. Call it a hunch. Anyways, yeah. Let's find Liara," Alex said.

 _:We'll keep an eye on her.:_ Lelantos promised.

 _:Good. Do it.:_ Alex growled out mentally.

"I'm sure we'll find something in her apartment," Tela said.

"If we do, we will check it out first," Agatha nodded. "Liara would have wanted that."

"I'm sure I can also check on whatever it was," Tela said.

"Fuck you," Alex grunted and moved his way past her with a purpose.

"Sorry. They're still new around here," John sighed.

"And you trust them?" Tela frowned.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked. That had her pause with thought.

"Anyways, what brings you here? Other than the attack on your friend?" she asked.

"Liara was following a lead on the Shadow Broker," he said.

"That's a pretty dangerous enemy to have," she frowned. "I want to help you find her, though. You knew her better than anyone. Even me. Where do you think she could have hidden her backups?"

"I wouldn't suggest anything," Agatha whispered softly in Shepard's ear. She had cloaked herself with her hair on purpose to remain hidden after walking a bit off. The husky purr in her tone made Shepard clear his throat with a touch of instinctive control. "I honestly don't think she was here for Liara's best interests. She showed interest in the Shadow Broker. That makes me wonder…"

"She may have something in her apartment. We'll have to look around here," Shepard said to regain himself quickly. He had no idea how Agatha's presence being so close like that affected him. "Liara is resourceful. She may have left a message for me."

"Good. Let's check it out," Tela nodded. On getting into the main room, he saw it was quaint and spacious. He found a picture frame and picked it up to bring up a Prothean dig site. "That picture changed! It must be keyed to your ID."

"Yeah. This is a picture of a Prothean dig site. It's a clue," he said. "Look for any Prothean artifacts. It may be around them."

"Already found," Alex said when he inspected a tank-like area. A small, red disc came out of a sliding tray. John took it from him to put into Liara's desk computer. On noting that she was going to the Dracon Trade Center to meet with a salarian informant named Sekat, Alex already had drones there. "I'm on it."

"What?" Tela asked.

"My family is fucking huge. I already have drones there," Alex smirked. "And I still don't fucking trust you. Your eyes keep shifting about. That's a sign of nervousness."

"Why wouldn't I feel nervous around you?!" she growled.

"I think he's right," Jack muttered. "Something's not right with this bitch."

"She appears unstable," Samara nodded.

"A justicar?! I see…" Tela seemed to grimace. "Well, I know where the place is. I can take you in my car."

"Fine. Alex?" John asked.

"We have our own rides. We'll meet you there," he grunted.

"I truly hope you prove our doubts about you wrong," Agatha said lightly. "If you are there for ill intentions, I will gladly hunt you down to see what form of a challenge you really are."

"Stop it. Please?" John seemed to groan.

"Father, you may have to wait on the ship with us," Osiris chuckled.

"You think so?" Robert grinned. "I am surprised that Spike stayed on the ship."

"Only when Mother told it to," Isis giggled. "Same with Zomok."

"Anyways, let us go," Agatha said with an elegant wave of her hand. Even when they parted ways, there was something about Agatha's warning about Tela that seemed to gnaw at his mind. _They never proved me wrong before. Something is definitely up…_

"Jack. Samara. I need you both to wait on the Normandy," John said.

"The fuck?" Jack frowned.

"I concur," Samara nodded.

"If something is wrong, I'll see it through to the end," he said.

"Fine. But, if you get a fucking paper cut, don't come whining your bitch ass to me," Jack said.

"What do you think medi-gel is for?" John chuckled. Then he paused at a bit of reflection. "Actually, I want you both to follow us in another car. I'm sure we can get one. Less cramped and easier to conceal us. Smaller parties are less noticeable."

Jack nodded at that, flipped him off with a smirk, and walked with Samara to where the Normandy was docked to get another vehicle.

"Interesting crew," Tela said.

"I know. We respect each other. And we all have our moments," John nodded. She smirked and drove them both to the trade center. Jack and Samara followed behind in Shepard's car from the Normandy. John knew there were two drones in the car with him already. He learned how to sense them around now. It was why he had Jack and Samara leave to arrive in a separate car. _I don't want drones on the car. Less suspicion around me._ He did wonder how he was able to sense the drones, but he figured it was from being around the viral hive so much now.

"Very interesting," Agatha mused from where she reclined on her mate in their transport ship.

"Hmm?" Alex asked.

"Shepard sent Jack and Samara back. To get another mode of transport. I wonder why," she frowned. "There was enough room in the other car."

"I think he knew drones were with him," Robert said.

"Oh? He knows we are around?" Alex frowned hard.

"Call it a form of battle awareness," Robert said carefully. "Guys who know war tend to have a 'feel' for things around them. And he's been hanging around us an awful lot."

"Ah. That would do it," Alex agreed. "Fuck. Maybe we should give him some blood and make him a part of the family."

"Only if he wants it," Agatha smiled. Spike was enjoying a small back rub from her bare foot.

"Liara was heading to the third floor of the building," Nick said. Spike tilted its head at Agatha.

"We'll see if you can come along," she laughed softly. It snorted with agreement and went back to enjoying its backrub.

"I want that bitch, though," Alex mumbled.

"She's a Spectre. It may be safer to bleed her dry," Nick sighed. "With Mordin's help, it's very easy to replicate blood. In fact, you know what? Fuck it. We'll clone her directly."

"Hmm…" Alex rolled the thought around. "Damn. Yeah. Cloning it is."

"George and Hedeyasu are on that now. So is Hypnos," Nick nodded.

"Any word from Cronus?" Agatha asked.

"None. I'll see if Heimdall can find out anything," Alex nodded to her.

"At least Rea is on Aite with Hermes and Dana," Nick said. "She'll be safe. And we have their backup cells, too."

"Good," Alex grunted and let Agatha move off him when they landed on the roof of the building. "Drones in place?"

"Been in place," Nick smirked. "We found Liara. And we found…bombs."

"What?!" Agatha hissed.

"She's safe. The bombs are set to go off shortly. We are evacuating people right now," Nick said. "This place has a number of us as hired guards. The bombs can't be diffused, so we are taking defensive measures seriously."

"Who placed them?" Alex asked.

"Not sure. But, we were right about the Spectre bitch. She's rotten to the core," Nick muttered out darkly. "One of our drones talked to Liara. Tela was seen breaking into the apartment after Liara left it. Liara went back over and saw the bitch firsthand."

"Evacuate the people. We'll play stupid until the critical moment. And inform Shepard somehow," Agatha ordered. _:Bleed that bitch dry!:_

 _:We have a tube set up for cloning.:_ Hypnos said. Alex gave a mental nod and felt the building shake when the bombs went off. Samara and Jack had just landed to see it.

"The entire third floor was rigged!" John hissed.

"By the Goddess…" Samara said with shock.

"Liara really pissed the fuck off someone," Jack said and readied her gun.

"I'll take the car and go to the roof to work my way down," Tela said.

"I'll go from the ground up," John nodded. Alex's drones reported this, and his ship cloaked easily. When they watched Tela land and leave the ship, Alex and Agatha looked at each other with small grins. _It was time to hunt._

"How do you want to do this?" he asked her.

"Be my back up when I go to drain her power," she said.

"Done," Alex grinned wickedly and kissed her passionately. "Robert…"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep my ass here," he sighed. Agatha giggled at him softly.

"We'll fuck later. We need to give Silus his female after that," she grinned softly.

"I look forward to that," Robert grinned back lightly. He flipped off Alex at the glare and was rewarded with a hissing scowl. "Oh, stop it. Go fuck up someone."

"Whatever," he growled back. Agatha rolled her eyes at them both, but she was soon up and out of the viral transport ship. Spike tilted its head at both of them. Then it snorted and sighed with a shake of its head. That got Robert gaping with disbelief. Alex was even in a bit of surprise.

"What the fuck was that for?!" Robert asked. A metal sheet was presented for it to tap on.

 _-Both of you. Fucking idiots.-_ it snorted and loped after Agatha. She was dying with laughter at what was tapped out. Nick was cringing with laughter and trying to keep calm. The rest of the hive mind was in an uproar of laughter.

"I am fucking that thing up!" Alex bristled.

"I'll kick around what's left!" Robert growled. Isis and Osiris were in tears of laughter. Alex bolted from the small ship and found Spike being guarded by Agatha.

"I want to kick its ass!" Alex spat out.

"Come, come now," Agatha crooned out and let her tendriled hair move to gently caress her enraged mate. "It was funny."

"To you," he smoldered. He relented when she pressed her warm, curvaceous body against him.

"Let's fuck up a Spectre bitch together," she whispered in a tantalizing way in his ear. He spanked her sharply and pulled her closer.

"Fucking cock tease…" he growled and ravished her mouth with his.

"And you love it," she giggled. He grinned softly at her. "Maybe I'll wear my bikini…"

"Fuck that!" he said and squeezed her. "Fine. Let's fuck up the bitch."

She smiled warmly, let him kiss her again, and got escorted into the building. What they found was a small surprise. The salarian in the message that Liara left behind was being held at gunpoint by Tela. Alex cleared his throat with a rather savage grin. Spike's deadly hiss of warning spooked her even more. She had never seen a Hunter before.

"What the…?!" Tela gaped with shock. Drones had already moved to protect the male salarian.

"Can we…leave here?!" he asked.

"In a moment, Sekat," Alex chuckled and glared at Tela. "Once a bitch, always a bitch. I knew it. I fucking knew it. Never fucking fails."

"She wants the data disc that I have for Liara," Sekat said.

"Keep it on you to give it to her yourself. Then we'll get you out of here," Agatha nodded.

"You're the…!" the salarian said with shock. Now he seemed to relax. He knew he was safe now. "You know what? Here. You deliver it to her. Get me out of here, please."

"We can do that," Alex nodded.

"No! That's mine!" Tela said. Then she gasped at the tendril of hair that coiled around her arm to draw out her biotic power. Then three other tendrils latched onto her limbs to hold her in place. She couldn't move if she tried. "What the fuck?!"

"Darling…" Agatha smiled and let her hair move to charge her mate up.

"Yeah. We kept this a secret. My mate can take your power to give to others. Like me," Alex grinned sadistically and charged up his biotic power. "And you. You don't tell anyone."

"You have my word," Sekat nodded. The data disc was given over, and the drones quickly took him away. They did see Liara on the way out, and Shepard was shocked at what he walked in on.

"Let her go!" John said.

"Nope. Sorry. She was about to kill the informant. I told you she was a bitch," Alex snorted.

"Shepard, it's okay. She attacked me. I saw her go back into my apartment after I left," Liara said when she walked over. "The drones saved me from the bombs. She was the one that tried to kill me. So, they are correct in everything."

"You didn't believe what all my family could do. Did you?" Alex grinned at Tela's stunned form. "Anyways, here is the question. What do we do with her now?"

"She's still a Spectre. She needs to be brought to justice," Shepard said.

"And how long will that last?" Nick asked where the rest of the drone escort was.

"Why don't we just kill her and let you hand over the body?" Alex asked.

"If that's the case, I want to give her a fighting chance. She's a Spectre. Let her die like one," John said. "It would be the fair thing to do. And I'll be the one to help kill her. You all stay back."

"Shepard. The killer of corrupted Spectres. It is a noble thing," Samara nodded.

"I can test out my biotics. Then use what I learned on you guys," Jack snickered.

"Okay. She wins," Alex chuckled. Agatha nodded, but she did give one final draining shock to the asari woman's system to cripple her down even more. Blood was quickly collected to be fresh and stored away. After that, Agatha pulled back her hair. Then Alex darted away with her in his arms to get out of the fight. "She's all yours, Commander!"

"Thanks!" John growled and drew out his gun.

"Fuck this!" Tela cringed and bolted. Her power was quickly regenerating, but wasn't as strong as Liara's was on being mainly a pureblood. Now with Shepard, Liara, Samara, and Jack in strong pursuit, Alex and Agatha watched from a rooftop with their entourage. Spike simply yawned and growled at everything it heard. A tendril of hair moved to gently soothe it.

 _:Zomok is anxious, Mother.:_ Isis sighed.

 _:Just a bit longer, dear.:_ Agatha said lightly.

 _:No go. It just left to find you.:_ Osiris grimaced.

"Fuck…" Alex sighed and watched the giant dragon-like mutation fly up to them to settle with them. It chirred and nudged into him for a good scratching. "Behave."

It tilted its head at him, but was already relaxed. Agatha chuckled. "Looks like they got her cornered. And down. Shall we join them?"

"May as well," he nodded, and Zomok was able to follow. Not many people were around from the evacuation. John was already giving her a final pep talk.

"Spectres don't go killing innocents with bombs!" he snapped at Tela's dying form.

"We do," she coughed up purple blood in response. "We are the ones that do the dirty work for the Council. They don't look closely at what we do. The Shadow Broker always helped me with crucial information. If someone needs to disappear, I always return the favor!"

"You turned your back on the Council."

"Fuck you! I never did! I got information to protect people and the Council!"

"You still killed innocents," John glowered.

"Does it matter? Besides, what of Cerberus? You know they did far worse things than I ever did. Admit it," she said with a narrowed gaze of her eyes. "Do you know what all they've done?"

"Yes. I know who they are and what they've done," John said grimly. "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter! You want to judge me? Go look in a fucking mirror! Hell, you also have a bunch of diseases for friends! What's that supposed to mean? Nothing?" she said and coughed again.

"Yeah. It means nothing. Because we're still standing. You're not," Alex grinned. "And now…you're a fucking blood bank."

"You…can't judge me…" she said before letting death claim her.

"If no one claims her body, it's ours," Alex grunted. John just seemed to shrug. He had a lot of conflicting thoughts now, but it was Agatha's tendriled hair that moved to gently caress his shoulders.

"She was trying to justify her own actions by making you see faults in your own," Agatha said softly. "Granted, my family kills all the time. But…mostly in self-defense. You only kill when you have no choice. The same thing we do. You try to spare innocents. We do, too. Don't let this get to you. It's not fair to you."

"No. It's not," John sighed and shook his head. "I made a lot of painful decisions…"

"We know you did," she smiled and nodded respectfully to him. "And look where you are now. You befriended us. We are helping you and your people as much as we can. We are also treated…shamefully. For no reason. But…what else can we do but keep living? Humans made us. They resent us. They beg us for protection. Then they resent us again. We want to pull away. We may actually be able to do that with the planets we can live on now."

"But, it's more fun to kick the asses of those that think they can get the better of us," Alex grinned a bit wickedly. "Anyways, what's on the disc?"

"A direct message from the Shadow Broker. We can use the Normandy's computers to pinpoint where the signal came from. With the stealth drive, we can easily be at the Shadow Broker's base in a few hours," Liara said when she put the disc into her Omni-tool. "I just don't want them to kill Feron."

"I can send some drones ahead to clear a path," Alex nodded. "That's easy."

"Okay. And…Shepard…" Liara sighed. "Once again…I'm leaning on you for help…"

"Well…that's what friends do, Liara. We help each other," John smiled.

"He's right," Agatha chuckled. "Anyways, this fucker tried to poison me. I think it's time we all paid him a visit. Don't you?"

"I'm going to want to see this thing, too," Alex nodded. "I have to say hi. And, if it's a nice ship, we'll get all the details."

"Sounds good," Shepard nodded. "When do we leave?"

"The moment the Normandy has the information locked down," Liara said.

"Wait," John said. "Liara…you've changed a bit. Haven't you?"

"It's possible. I just want to get Feron out. If it wasn't for Alex and Agatha, Sekat would have been killed. I put him in danger to get the information I need. I'd do it again, too. This is for a guy that saved us both. That helped me get you out of the Shadow Broker's hands. He doesn't deserve to be tortured any more. If Feron is alive, we need to rescue him," she said.

"And you're right. Let's go," Alex nodded. Zomok chittered and moved to nudge Liara for a fond scratching to show she was an ally. Spike rubbed up against her fondly before loping after Agatha.

"You should join us with some of her blood," Nick chuckled.

"Oh. Well…" Liara seemed to blush.

"No rush," the drone nodded.

"Let me think about it. If Feron is still alive…" she mumbled.

"We would understand," Nick said and moved to follow the Empress.

"I'd want to think about it," Liara sighed.

"Yeah. I would want you to, also," Shepard agreed fully. Jack was rather thoughtful. Samara was calmly following Shepard without fail. As they departed to their ships, they would soon meet up at the Normandy to get a lock down on the Shadow Broker. It was time to bring the fight on the Shadow Broker's turf. Alex couldn't wait to skewer whatever he found with a happy form of glee.


End file.
